Chandra Shekhar

Chandra Shekhar (1927 – 2007) was prime minister of India from November 10, 1990 to June 21, 1991. He was born on July 1, 1927, in a farmer’s family in village Ibrahimpatti in District Ballia, Uttar Pradesh. He was President of the Janata Party from 1977 to 1988. During his student days he was known as a fire-brand idealist with revolutionary fervour. After his Master’s Degree in Political Science from Allahabad University (1950-51), he joined the Socialist Movement. He had the privilege of having been associated very closely with Acharya Narendra Dev. He was elected Secretary of the District Praja Socialist Party, Ballia. Within a year, he was elected Joint Secretary of the U.P. State Praja Socialist Party. In 1955-56 he took over as General Secretary of the U.P., State Praja Socialist Party.

In 1962, he was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh. He joined the Indian National Congress in January 1965. In 1967 he was elected General Secretary of the Congress Parliamentary Party. When he attacked the disproportionate growth of monopoly houses with State patronage, he came in conflict with the centres of power. He came to be as 'Young Turk' leader for his conviction, courage and integrity in the fight against vested interests. He founded and edited "Young Indian", a weekly published from Delhi in 1969. Its editorial had the distinction of being among the most quoted ones of the time. During the Emergency (June 1975 to March 1977) "Young Indian" had to be closed down. He had become a focal point of dissent within Congress Party during 1973-75.

When Emergency was declared on June 25, 1975, he was arrested under Maintenance of Internal Security Act in spite of the fact that he was a member of the Central Election Committee and Working Committee, top bodies of the Indian National Congress. He was among the few individuals in the then ruling party who was imprisoned during the Emergency.

His diary, written in Hindi while undergoing imprisonment during the Emergency period, was later published under the title 'Meri Jail Diary'. A well-known compilation of his writings is 'Dynamics of Social Change'.

Shri Chandra Shekhar undertook a marathon walk (Padayatra) through the country from Kanyakumari in the deep South to Rajghat (Samadhi of Mahatma Gandhi) in New Delhi covering a distance of nearly 4260 kms from January 6, 1983 to June 25, 1983.

He had been a Member of Parliament since 1962 except for a brief period from 1984 to 1989. In 1989 he successfully contested both from his home constituency, Ballia, and the adjoining Maharajganj constituency in Bihar. He vacated the latter. He was the leader of Samajwadi Janata Party (Rashtriya) (1990–2007) until his death on 8 July 2007.

Nearby pages
Chandra the asur, Chandrabhanu, Chandrachud, Chandradara, Chandradev