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CharanSingh(1902-1987)

Onbeingfalselytargetedallhis life,CharanSinghfondlycalled ‘ChoudharySaheb’,hadonceremarked‘thispropagandawillceaseassoonasCharanSinghdies’.Hewaswrong,thepropagandastillendures.

Theeldestof fivechildrenofNetraKaurandMirSingh,CharanSinghwasbornonacoldwinterdayof23rdDecember1902invillageNurpurofMeerutdistrictinU.P.AllthroughhisformativeyearsheexperiencedtheoppressiveZamindarisystemwhichkeptthepeasantryinabjectpoverty.Thedepressivestateofhisowncommunityleftdeepscarsthatneverhealedandthisiswhatisvowedtoundo.

Having attained a degree to practice law in 1926, he sacrificed his option to set up a lucrative practice and chose toparticipateintheindependencemovement.HejoinedtheCongresspartyasafull-timememberin1929,thesamepartyhewouldlaterunravelinitsownbastionoftheHindiheartland.

In1930inLahore,theIndianNationalCongresspassedthe‘PurnaSwarajdeclaration’,forcompleteself-ruleindependentoftheBritishEmpire.Soonafterwards, forhispoliticalactivismCharanSinghwas imprisonedforsixmonthsandmanytimesthereafter.Agitatinginthe‘QuitIndiamovement’hewasjailedfor15months.

AsrevenueministerinUPhewasthechiefarchitectoftherevolutionary“ZamindariabolitionandlandreformAct1951”.Later,hewasforcedtoresignwhenheopenlydisagreedwiththePMJawaharLalNehruonhisproposednationalpolicyofco-operative farming, which was similar to the ruinous ‘Kolkhoz’ in the Soviet Union. His singular focus on farmerprosperityneverwaveredandhedevelopedapersonalitynevertomincewords.HiscontrariannaturewasincreasinglyatoddswiththeCongresspartywhichwasevolvingtowardssubservienceandhierarchies.

CharanSinghmaintainedthatthereversalofprioritiesinthe2ndfive-yearplanawayfromagriculturewastherootcauseofcontinuedpovertyinIndiawhichultimatelyresultedinPL-480foodimports.Subsequenthumiliationofin-sufficiencyinfoodproductionimprintedonthenationafearfactorthatimpactspolicymakingtothisday.

Expounding on the Gandhianmodel he proposed, “nomedium or large-scale enterprise shall be allowed to come intoexistenceinfuturewhichwillproducegoodsandservicesthatcottageorsmall-scaleenterprisecanproduce.”HeopposedtheheavyindustriesdevelopmentmodelofJawaharlalNehru.TimewouldprovethatbothextremeswouldnotworkforIndia.

In1967,CharanSinghformedtheBhartiyaKrantiDalwiththesupportofRajNarain&RamManoharLohia.Thereafter,becomingthefirstnon-congresschiefministerofUP,hefueledtherebellionagainstthecongressparty.Hegatheredhisstrength from popular mass public support but always had difficulty in retaining power due to his resoluteuncompromisingnature.

His contempt for ‘urbancentricpolicy’ andnepotismwithin theupper castes, capitalistsandbureaucracyneverebbed.Withnothingbettertoconjure,heisfalselyvilifiedtoalwayshaverepresentedhisowncaste;theJats.WhileJawaharlalNehruwouldattendmeetingsoftheKashmirBrahminsregularly,CharanSinghneverattendedasinglemeetingoftheJatcommunity,letalonespeakofspecificJatdemands.HeevengotthenameofthelocalJatCollegeinBarautchangedtoJantaVediccollege.In1954,hehadproposedreservationforgazettejobswherebyjobswouldbeonlyavailabletothosewhomarryoutofnarrowcircleofone’scaste.

Whenthecasteaccusationsfellflat,theacademicsprojectedhimasadvocatingtheinterestsofonlytherichfarmersandland-owningclasses.Evenwhen,thezamindarsweretherichlandowners,whosehegemonyhesingularlybroke.CharanSinghisthemostmisunderstoodleaderofindependentIndia.Hisdefinitionofpeasantswentbeyondlimiteddefinitionofperceived landowning classes, he included in his struggle the landless, craftsmen and tradesmen too. Now, manyacademics hold him responsible for creating a ruralmiddle class of small landholding farmers,which to this day needgovernmentsupporttosurvive.Thesocialistsandtheneo-liberalscouldneverdigestamerepeasantatthehightableofpolicymaking.

Theconstanthoundingbytheacademia,mediaandbusinesshouseswouldhavedestroyedCharanSinghhaditnotbeenforhishardwork,integrityandhonesty.CharanSinghwasasimpleman,saidtohavenevergrownhishairlongforhewasagainstanysortofpartition.ThedhotiandtheGandhicapwerehischaracteristicdress.Heneverusedsoapforbathingandusedneemtwigs‘datun’forbrushinghisteeth.Hehadveryfrugaleatinghabitsandabhorreddrinkingandsmoking.He was a firm believer in ideals of the Arya Samaj propagated by Swami Dayananda Saraswati to reform orthodoxHinduism.Notonlywasheaprolificreader,healsoauthoredmanypapersandbooks.Amongst themanyhepublishedwere ‘AbolitionofZamindari’andIndia’sEconomicNightmare:CausesandCure’.Hewouldplayasimplegameofcards‘KotPees’withhisbrethren.

HewasamongstthemanyleadersimprisonedforoverayearbyPMIndiraGandhiintheemergencyera.Thereafterheledthe opposition to defeat Indira Gandhi in 1977. The Bharatiya Lok Dal party led by Charan Singh secured the largestnumber of members of Parliament followed by Jan Sangh. To stop Charan Singh from becoming Prime Minister, thesmallerJanSanghpartyproposedthenameofJagjivanram,correctlyanticipatingCharanSingh’sresponse.CharanSinghhadalwaysmaintained ‘thosewhosupported the resolutionon imposingemergencywereunacceptable tohimandhissupporters’.Falling into the trapsetby JanSangh,paved theway for thecompromisecandidatureofMorarjiDesai.BigBusinessforthefirsttimemanagedtogetaprimeminteroftheirchoice.Itwouldbeonlymanydecadeslatertheywouldmanagetodosoagain.

The Janata party experiment failed miserably. Appointed Deputy Prime Minister with charge of home minister, heblundered toarrest IndiraGandhi.Things came toaheadwhenCharanSingh insisted toprobescandalsofPMMorarjiDesai’sson.Consequently,hewasunceremoniouslydroppedfromtheministry.

SeizingtheopportunitytotoppletheMorarjiDesaigovernment,IndiraGandhiagreedtosupportCharanSinghasprimeminister. Charan Singh had reconciled to the fact that timewas running out for him to lead ametamorphosis of ruralcommunitiesandsohesettledtoinspirethegenerationsofpeasantstorise,todreamandbreakfreefromthemanaclesset by upper castes and urban society. He was successful in his objective; a peasant becoming Prime Minister stillresonatesacrossruralIndia.

But,historyiswrittenbytheurbanelitewhocan’tresistpaintingCharanSinghaspowerhungry.Ifthatwerethecase,onbecoming the primeminister, hewould not have refused to visit Indira Gandhi to thank her for the support, insistingsupportwasdirectedtobreaktheJanatagovernment.ConfrontedtochoosebetweenprinciplesandconvictionshechosetogiveupthepostofthePrimeMinisterwithinweeks.Herefusedtoconcedetoconditionsputforwardbythecongressforextendingsupport.

Thetallestfarmerleaderofthenationbreathedhislastinthesummerof1987andleftavoidyettobefilled.Afarmingcommunitywaitingfora leader isapitifulstatetobe in.Sincehispassingtheruralpolitical landscapechangedbeyondrecognition;Mandal commission recommendations cut through the very fabric of rural unity dividing communities oncaste lines.Hadhe lived, it seems improbable,CharanSinghwouldhavesurvived theshiftingcenterofpoliticalgravityfromcommunityleadershiptocastepolitics.