Tata Sivaiah
June 25th is the birth anniversary of V P Singh.
V.P.Singh was a unique personality. He never believed in the institutional niceties. Very few among us know that he lost his kidney because he sat on a hunger strike against the Bombay riots in 1993. It was an unusual sight as a former prime minister was sitting on a hunger strike. To save himself from going out to urinate, he stopped taking water and in turn lost his kidneys.
Born in Rajput family, cared for the justice of the deprived sections; Brought the Mandal report hidden in the dust bin of Brahmin Secretariat of Delhi and implemented job reservation to the backward classes, that changed the political chemistry of Indian politics.
Gave equal respect to the States ruled by other parties; founded the Inter State Council; constituted the Cauvery Water Tribunal.
Declared in the Parliament that implementation of Mandal Report is the realization of the dreams of Periyar, Ambedkar and Lohia.
Media which barks today about honesty, never portrayed V.P.Singh, who maintained transparency and honesty in public life.
He tried social engineering through reservations to OBCs that changed the country’s political course irreversibly.
Long Live Saviour of Social Justice V.P.Singh
What V.P. Singh did by partially implementing the Mandal Commission? He okayed the demand of a vast majority of the OBCs brewing in the society through social and political organisations. That means the society should have the desire for a change. A willing and committed head of the state can then fulfil the desire.
He was not in to party politics but the legacy that he developed is now in the power structures. Lalu, Nitish, Ramvilas, Sharad Yadav, Mulayam Singh all became power elite and did not feel shame in making alliance with BJP on the one hand and with the corrupt middlemen and corporate. VP did not heed to any middlemen and at the end remained alone painting and writing poetry. His did not have many friends and political parties, nor did his family has any stake in politics and therefore people might say that he met with his fate he deserve. But then V P Singh never cared for all this, he did what he liked and lived according to his convictions and ideals. Every decision of his has become milestone in the history of India. The ghost of Singh will always haunt those upper castes in India who continue to believe themselves superior and meritorious.
November 27 is the death anniversary day of Mr.V.P.Singh, Saviour of Social Justice and former Prime Minister of India.
Though born in the family of Raja Bhadur of the Northern feudal estate of Manda, V.P.Singh spent his active life post Prime Minister for the welfare of poor and farmers.
When farmers agitated against the acquisition of land at Dadri by Anil Ambani controlled Reliance Industries,
V.P.Singh sided the farmers and joined their agitation despite prohibitory orders.
On 7th November 1990, our honourable former PM V. P. Singh had to step down sacrificing his government because of his bold decision to implement 27% reservation in central govt. jobs for OBCs as recommended by the Mandal Commission report. This day should never be forgotten as it was the day when the BJP and its allies finally managed to rally enough support to topple VP Singh’s govt. Neither should the boldest crusader for backward classes’ cause, V. P. Singh be forgotten.
For implementing 27% reservation in central govt jobs for OBCs, the majority population of India, Hon’ble V.P.Singh had to sacrifice his government.
The fundamentalists voted against his govt on 7.11.1990.
“What kind of India do you want?” he asked his opponents in Parliament, before losing the vote 142–346; only a portion of the National Front remaining loyal to him and the Left front supported him in the vote.
V.P.Singh resigned on 7th November 1990.
Though the status quoists could remove his Govt, as V.P.Singh told, the principles of social justice could not be stopped.
As long as this agenda of social justice is in Indian polity, the name and fame of V.P.Singh will be there.
Our revolutionary salute to this great leader of our times.
It is time our Bahujan MPs understand the growing threat of Hindutva’s communal virus as well as anti people capitalist agenda and develop a workable rainbow coalition, which VP Singh proved could work wonder for the entire country. The Raja who created ripples in the Hindi heartland, on whose call thousands of youngsters would jump in the street, died as a lonely man yet he cared less. He lived life on his own. The media might ignore him, the upper caste still hate him but the GO that he passed will remain unchanged as now the time of Dalit Bahujan has come and no power can deny them their rights. Only problem is brahmanical crookedness and the only way to stop is in the democratic structure and high personal integrity of the political class, which are claiming to represent us. VP was acceptable to all because of his high personal integrity and his reach to all political formation. For any future formations in the center VP’s Mantra of governance is an essential ingredient for survival.
when he was finance minister in the Congress government headed by Rajiv Gandhi. He took on industrialists, including Reliance Industries Ltd’s Dhirubhai Ambani. Some he offended by launching tax investigations. With others, he achieved the objective by refusing to cater to their demands for low import duties on some products and high on others. Still, Singh was the proverbial new broom—and an equal opportunity offender.
As Prime Ministers the Gandhis encouraged notables/professionals, rich businessmen and land owning castes and garner support for their governments. But VP Singh was never worried about his politics and government.
When Rajiv Gandhi couldn’t deliver on the promise on which he had come to power—a clean government—Singh began Raids against companies intensified, complaints were made in the right quarters, and Singh was shifted to the defence ministry. But he wasn’t finished yet. He began to investigate the murky world of arms deals. Singh was sacked by then, however, Singh had discovered a way out: coalitions. He resigned from the Lok Sabha and spent the next few years building the Janata Dal—a coalition of non-BJP, non-Congress parties. In 1989, he fought the general election on this platform. He forged an alliance with the Communist parties and struck an understanding with the Bharatiya Janata Party. And he became the 10th prime minister of India. He held the post for less than a year but triggered the trend of coalition politics which continues till today.
He fought against corruption and exposed India’s ugly Boforce Scam. He was a true secularist. He stood against religious extremists, the Hindutva and Jamat forces. He warned many times that communal and divisive forces are opponent of social justice and egalitarian society.
History has shown that persons who have fought for social transformation or justice have been decried by Brahmins through their media. It holds good with V.P.Singh also.
The OBCs have a duty to respect this great leader who has created an awakening in the country’s political system in favour of bahujans.
We live at a time when we find people in public life ready to sacrifice principles to attain position and power, but V.P. Singh was a monumental example of a rare person who had sacrificed his position as Prime Minister to uphold noble principles. Now he is enthroned in the hearts of crores of people. He was not an individual, but a movement.
His government awarded Bharat Ratna to Babasahb Bhimrao Ambedkar and Nelson Mandela for their emancipatory and revolutionary role both respective countries, India and South Africa.
Few are aware of his contribution in the enactment of the Right to Information Act and the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.
In a poignant obituary of Singh, (November 2008), RTI’s principal architects, Aruna Roy and Nikhil Dey, wrote, “When the history of these two legislations are more comprehensively written, there will be many architects and strategists who will finally get the credit they never sought…V.P. Singh was one of them.
V.P. Singh had not seen Periyar, but was fascinated by his principles. The followers of Periyar are indebeted to him for ever and ever.
He was an iconoclast for fundamentalist and feudal forces.
Taking a leaf straight out of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s experiments in Tamil Nadu, he implemented a reservation policy.
Singh, an erudite man with a fondness for poetry and painting, wasn’t the same force after he quit as prime minister. His frail health didn’t help his cause, but history will remember him as the man who managed to polarize India, although his efforts—aimed at creating a level playing field for people belonging to the backward classes—might have been well-intentioned.
~~~
Tata Sivaiah is the
National President, Mahatma Jyotirao Phule & Krantijyoti Savitribai Phule Educational Circle,
Convener, OBC Student Force – Phule’s Caravan,
Founder, Periyar Self-Respect & Phule, Ambedkar Samajika Nyaya Samithi
