POLITICAL SCIENCE PROJECT

Presidents and Prime Ministers of since 1947 till date :-

BY : KOMAL KANWAL CLASS : XI SECTION : “D” PRIME MINISTERS

1. PANDIT ( from 15th August 1947 to 27th May 1964)

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was the first Prime Minister of Independent India, who held charge for more than 17 years continuously.

Jawaharlal Nehru was born in Allahabad on 14th November 1889. He was one of the founder- members of the .

Jawaharlal Nehru implemented his socialist vision by introducing a modified “Indian” version of planning and control over the economy. Creating the Planning commission of India, Nehru drew up the first Five-Year Plan in 1951, which charted the government’s investments in industries and agriculture. Nehru launched programmes to build irrigation canals, dams and spread the use of fertilizers to increase the agricultural production. Nehru’s government succeeded in extending water and electricity supply, health care, roads and infrastructure to a large degree of India’s vast population.

2. GULZARI LAL NANDA(from 27th May,1964 to 9th June, 1964)

Gulzari Lal Nanda was a “gandhian” to the core and was a temporary Prime Minister on two occasions after the sudden death of Pt. Nehru, for 14 days, and again after the sudden demise of (from 11th January to 24th January, 1966) again for a period of 14 days.

On both occasions he acted for slightly less than a month, his term ending upon the election of a new leader of the Indian National Congress.

Born in Sialkot, July 4, 1898 and died on January 15, 1998, as a centenarian. He was a leading member in the labour movement. He had also conferred the award in the year 1997. 3. LAL BAHADUR SHASTRI (from 9th June, 1964 to 11th January, 1966)

Born in Moghalsarai, October 2, 1904, died in Tashkent(USSR) on January 11, 1966, while negotiating peace talks with . He had conferred Bharat Ratna in 1966.

As a minister for transport and police, he was the first to women conductors and ordered that police use jets of water instead of lathis to avoid unruly crowds. Shastri worked by his natural traits to obtain agreements, but in his short tenure was ineffective in dealing with the economic crisis and the food shortage in the country.

He was respected a lot and used this advantage in pushing the Green Revolution in India which directly led to India becoming a food surplus nation. During the 22-days war with Pakistan, Lal Bahadur Shastri created the slogan of “Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan”, underlining the need to boost India’s food production. 4. INDIRA (24th January, 1966 to 24th march, 1977 & again from 14th January,1984 to 31st October, 1984)

Indira Gandhi was the first Woman . She held office for a total of 5,831 days.

Abolition of Privy Purse, nationalization of banks, birth of Bangladesh are some of her achievements. was Minister for Information and Broadcasting in Shastri’s tenure. She was the person to declare emergency in the country; by 1973 Delhi and north India were rocked by demonstrations angry at high price rise, the poor state of economy, uncontrolled corruption, and poor standards of living. In June 1975, the High Court of Allahabad found her guilty of using illegal practices and ordered her to vacate her seat.

She died on Oct. 31, 1984. Her own Sikh bodyguard murdered her as she had ordered attack on the . 5. (from 24th March, 1977 to 28th July, 1979)

The first non-congress Prime Minister since independence, Morarji Desai headed the Government for 587 days. He was one of those rare Gandhians.

Born on 29th February, 1896 in Bahadesli, ; a centenarian, he passed away on 10th April, 1995. He had also conferred Bharat Ratna in 1991. During his time, Desai greatly improved relations with Pakistan and Zia-ul-Haq. Diplomatic relations with were also re- established with China. His greatest contribution was that his government renewed people’s faith in democracy. His government undid many amendments made to the constitution during emergency and made it difficult for any future government to impose National Emergency.

6. (from 28th July, 1979 to 14th January, 1980)

A “kisan” Prime Minister from , he never faced Parliament, although he was in office for 171 days. Within days of assuming office, one of the supporting parties withdrew support, after which he continued as a caretaker PM, till fresh elections were held. Charan Singh was of the opinion that cooperative farms would not succeed in India. Charan’s political career suffered due to his open criticism of Nehru’s economic policies. He also mentioned that the Indian labour laws had to be refined if India were to become competitive in world.he also opened high level diplomatic relations with Israel.

7. (from 31st October, 1984 to 1st December, 1989)

Rajiv Gandhi worked as a professional pilot for Indian Airlines before coming into . The youngest PM so far, he assumed office at the age of 41. In the 1985 elections, he led his party to a big win. He was born in Bombay on August 20, 1944; died in Sriperumbudur on May 21, 1991, at the hands of a human bomb.

He began demolishing the License raj, government quotes, tax and permitted regulations on economic activity, modernized the telecommunications industry, education system, expanded science and technology and improved relations with United States.

The broke his honest image and resulted in a major defeat for his party in the 1989 elections. 8. V.P SINGH (from 2nd December, 1989 to 10th November, 1990)

V.P Singh of became the Prime Minister in 1989. He was born in Allahabad on June 25, 1931.

Singh wished to move nationally on social justice related issues, which would in turn combine the caste coalition that supported the Janata Dal in North India, and accordingly decided to implement the recommendations of Mandal Commission which suggested that a fixed quota for all jobs in the public sector be reserved for the disadvantaged Other Backward Classes. This decision led to widespread protests among the youth in urban areas. 9. (from 10th November, 1990 to 21st June, 1991)

The “Young Turk” (reformist) became Prime Minister and continued for 224 days. Born in village Ibrahimpatti in Ballia District, UP on July 1st, 1927.

Holding the office for only seven months, Shekhar resigned on March 6, 1991 after the Congress party withdrew support to him. Chandra Shekhar was known for abiding by the Parliamentary rules and was honoured with the Outstanding Parliamentarian Award in 1995. Today, Shekhar is a member of India’s Lower House of Parliament. He now leads . 10. P.V NARSIMHA RAO (from 21st June, 1991 to 10th May,1996)

The first ever from south to hold this office, he ruled for 5 years despite a hung Parliament initially.

Rao decided that India, which in 1991 was on the verge of bankruptcy would benefit from Economic Liberation Programme. Rao is also called “Father of Indian Economic Reforms”.

The state of Jammu and faced increased terrorist activities during Rao’s tenure 11. A.B VAJPAYEE (from 16th May to 1st June, 1996 & again from 19th March, 1998 to 13th May, 2004) The first “bachelor” Prime Minister of India, he was at the office only for 16 days, creating a record for shortest spell in office. He assumed charge for the second time. He took the Oath on October 13, 1999 after General Elections.

He was a passionate champion of women’s empowerment and social equality. Vajpayee believes in a forward –looking, forward moving India, a strong and wealthy nation confident of its rightful place in the good will of nations.

He stands for an India secured in 5000 years of development history, ever modernizing, renewing and ever-energizing itself to meet the challenges of the next 1000 years. India’s second highest civilian honor, the , was conferred upon him. 12. H.D DEVE GODWA (from 1st June, 1996 to 21st April, 1997)

H.D Deve was in office for only 11 months. When the Congress party was defeated in the 1996 General Elections, Deve Godwa became Prime Minister of a United Front after Indian nationalists failed to form a government. He is widely respected and regarded for his struggle towards the cause of farming community and is known as “son of soil”.

13. I.K GUJRAL (from 21st April, 1997 to 28th November, 1997) Indra Kumar Gujral was born on December 4, 1919, in Jhelum. Prime Minister Gujral continued in the office for over 11 months, including 3 months as caretaker PM.

During this time he attempted to improve relations with Pakistan, reform the ageing institutions of government and promote pro- growth economic policies to bring the country out of the 1997 Asian financial crisis, which had left it stagnant.

But the lawless, corrupt and unstable coalition politics were too big a problem. One of the most controversial decisions of his government was declaration of President’s rule in Uttar Pradesh. 14. DR. (from 22nd May, 2004 to 25th May, 2014)

Dr. Manmohan Singh was born on 26th September, 1932, in Gah into a Kohli family. A globally renowned and former Finance Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh assumed charge on 22nd May, 2004.

Sonia Gandhi was elected leader of the Congress Parliamentary Party and was expected to become the PM. In an unexpected move, she declined to accept the post and instead nominated Singh. He was the 17th Prime Minister of India. Singh was the first Sikh to become the PM. He is one of the most qualified and influential figures in India’s recent history, because of the economic liberation he started in 1991. 15. (from 26th May, 2014 till present)

Narendra Damodardas Modi, the current Prime Minister of India, was born on September 17, 1950. Modi, a leader of Bhartiya Janata Party, was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Parliament from Varanasi. He led the BJP in 2014 General Elections, which gave the party a majority in the – a first for any party since 1984.

On March 31, 2013, Modi was appointed to the BJP Parliamentary board and at the party’s 9 June executive meeting he was appointed chair of the BJP’s central elction campaign committee for the 2014 General Elections. Modi was a candidate in two constituencies : Varanasi and Vadodara. During the campaign, he pledged to speed government’s decision making and remove bureaucratic hurdles which slowed development.

BJP-led NDA won the elections overall and INC faced its worst defeat ever. Modi, who was unanimously elected leader of the BJP was appointed Prime Minister.

Modi invited the leaders of the SAARC countries to his to his swearing-in as Prime Minister to strengthen ties with its member countries. Continuing his efforts to promote close relations with neighbouring countries, his first foreign visit as a Prime Minister was to Bhutan. Modi visited Nepal on 8th August, 2014, and also began a 5- day trip to on 30th August.

On 17th September, Chinise President Xi Jinping arrived in India; financial memoranda of understanding and cooperation agreements between the countries were signed. The PM had a successful visit to United States in September, which led to an improvement in the relations between India and USA. In a 27th September address to the General Assembly, Modi asked for the adoption of 21st June as International Yoga Day. PRESIDENTS :- 1. DR. (from 26th January, 1950 to 12th May, 1962)

Dr. Rajendra Prasad took charge as the President of Independent and Republic India on 26th January, 1950, being selected by the Committee of Indian Constitution. Dr. Rajendra Prasad was the for two consecutive terms being the First and the Second President of India.

In the Third Presidential election, Prasad expressed his decision to retire from public life and declined the offer to continue as the Third President of India.

Dr. Prasad was independent and unwilling to allow the Prime Minister or the party to seize his constitutional rights. However, following the conflict over the passing of Code Bill, he restrained his stand. Prasad set several important rules for future Presidents to follow. 2. SARVAPALLI RADHAKRISHNAN (from 1962 to 1967)

S. Radhakrishnan was borb on 5th September, 1888. He was a philosopher and statesman. He became the Vice President of India in 1952 and was elected as President in 1962.

Radhakrishnan was one of the first scholars of comparative religion and philosophy in his time; he built a bridge between Eastern and Western thoughts showing each to be understandable within the terms of the other. Radhakrishnan introduced Western ideas into Indian philosophy and was the first scholar of importance to provide a comprehensive exegesis of India’s religious and philosophical literature to English speaking people. He died on April 17, 1975. Radhakrishnan’s birthday is celebrated every year as “teachers’ day” in India in his honour.

3. ZAKIR HUSSAIN (from 13th May, 1967 to 3rd May, 1969)

Zakir Hussain was born on February 8, 1897 in Hyderabad. He was the third President of India and served till his death in 1969. He was the first elected Muslim President of India.

After serving asa Governer of Bihar from 1957 to 1962, Zakir Hussain became the Vice President from 1962 to 1967. In his inaugural speech, he said that the whole of India is his home and its entire people were his family.

4. VARAHAGIRI VENKATA GIRI (from 3rd May, 1969 to 20th July, 1969)

Varahagiri Venkata Giri was born on August 10, 1894. He was appointed as the Acting President of India after the death of Zakir Hussain but he resigned shortly after a few months and decided to participate in the Presidential Elections.

Giri received India’s highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna in 1975 for his contributions in the public affairs. He was a prolific writer and a good orator.

5. MUHAMMAD HIDAYAT ULLAH (from 20th July, 1969 to 24th August, 1969)

Muhammad Hidayat Ullah was born on December 17, 1905. He served as Acting President of India until Varahagiri was elected as the President of India. He was the second Muslim to hold the post.he was succeeded by the previous President Varahagiri Venkata Giri. Hidayat was the first Muslim Chief Justice of India from January 1968 to February 1970. He was also the Vice President of India from August 1979 to August 1984. A National Law University has been established in his name at Jodhpur.

6. (from 24th August, 1974 to 11th February, 1977)

Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed was born on May 13, 1905. He was educated at St. Stephen’s College and St. Catharine’s College, and subsequently became an active member of the Congress party.

Ahmed was chosen as the President by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1974, becoming the third Muslim President. He would later use his constitutional authority as head of state to allow Indira Gandhi to rule by decree once emergency rule was proclaimed in 1975. Fakhruddin was the second Indian President to die in office.

7. BASAPPA DANAPPA JATTI (from 11th February, 1977 to 25th July, 1977)

Basappa Danappa Jatti was sworn in as the Acting President after the death of Fakhruddin Ali on 11th February, 1977. He was born on September 10, 1912.

Jatti graduated as a lawyer from Sykes Law college, Kolhapur and became a leader in Jamakhandi. After the 1953 General Elections, he was appointed Minister of Health and Labour of the then Bombay(now ) Government. Re-elected from the Jamakhandi constituency in the third general elections, Jatti was appointed Finanace Minister on July 2, 1962.

8. NEELAM SANJEEVA REDDY (from 25th July, 1977 to 25th July, 1982)

Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy was the only individual elected President unopposed. He was born on 19th May, 1913. He was also Union Minister of Transport, Civil Aviation, Shipping and Tourism from January 1966 to March 1967 in the Cabinet.

Reddy was elected to the Lok Sabha from Hindupur Constituency in . He was elected Speaker of Lok Sabha on March 17, 1967, where he won unprecedented acclaim and appreciation.

9. GIANI (from 25th July, 1982 to 25th July, 1987)

Giani Zail Singh was born in on May 5, 1916. He was the President of India from 1982- 1987.

He was the first Sikh to hold India’s highest public office and honor. He was elected to this highest public post on July 15, 1982.

He was criticized for his dominating attitude towards the Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi. His relations with the next PM, Rajiv Gandhi, was rocky at the best.

10. R. VENKATARAMAN (from 25th July, 1987 to 25th July, 1992)

R. Venkataraman was born on December 4, 1910 was the President of Republic of India. Before his election as the President, he served nearly 4 years as the Vice-President.

Although re-elected to Parliament in 1957, Venkataraman resigned his seat in Lok Sabha to join the State Government of Madras as a Minister. There, he held portfolios of Industries, Labour, Cooperation, Power, Transport and Commercial Taxes from 1957 to 1967. During this time, he was also the Leader of the Upper House, namely, the Madras Legislative Council.

Venkataraman died at the Army Research and Referral Hospital, on 27th January, 2009.

11. (from 25th July, 1992 to 25th july, 1997)

Shankar Dayal Sharma was born on August 19, 1918. Sharma served as Vice-President till 1992, when he was elected President. During his 5-year term,he was active in ceremonial matters and was in charge of dismissing and appointing governors. During his last year as President, it was his responsibility to swear in 3 prime ministers.

12. K.R NARAYANAN (from 25th July, 1997 to 25th July, 2002)

K.R Narayanan was the first Malayali and the first to have been Indian President. He was born on 20th October, 1920.

K.R Narayanan was elected as President on 17th July, 1997 with 95% of the votes in the Electoral College, from the Presidential Poll. This is the only presidential election to have been held with a minority government holding power at the centre. 13. DR. APJ ABDUL KALAM (from 25th July, 2002 to 25th July, 2007)

Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam is an Indian scientist and administrator. He was born on october 15, 1931, Tamil Nadu, India.

A notable scientist and engineer, he is often referred to as the “Missile Man of India” for his work and is considered a leading progressive, mentor, innovator and visionary in India. 14. PRATIBHA (from 25th July, 2007 to 25th July, 2012)

Pratibha Devisingh Patil was the first and only Indian President till date. She was also the first Maharashtrian to hold this post. The Chief Justice of India, K.G Balakrishnan had sworn her as President of India on July 25, 2007.

Pratibha obtained her Master’s degree in Political Science and from Moolijee Jetha College, . Patil was an elected Member of Parliament in the tenth Lok Sabha and represented the constituency.

Pratibha Patil is a member of INC and the first female governor of . She retired from the President’s post in July, 2012. 15. (from 25th July, 2012 to present)

Pranab Kumar Mukherjee is the current President of India. He was appointed to the post in July, 2012. He was amongst the senior members of the Cabinet Committees on Political Affairs, Parliamentary Affairs, Economic Affairs, Security, Infrastructure etc.

Pranab also led the assembly of Ministers that probes the assumed corruption of the earlier National Democratic Alliance Government.