V. P. Singh

Vishwanath Pratap Singh (25 June 1931 – 27 November 2008) was an Indian politician who served as the Prime Minister of India from 1989 to 1990 and the Raja Bahadur of Manda.

Some Pakistani historians state that Singh's family originated from a village in the Yaqubi area of District Peshawar (present-day Swabi, Pakistan), and that after the Partition of India in 1947 he moved with his mother to live at his uncle's home.

He was educated at Allahabad University and Fergusson College in Pune. In 1969, he joined the Indian National Congress party and was elected as a member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly.

In the Rajiv Gandhi ministry, Singh was given various cabinet posts, including Minister of Finance and Minister of Defence. Singh was also the Leader of the Rajya Sabha from 1984 to 1987. During his tenure as Minister of Defence, the Bofors scandal came to light, and Singh resigned from the ministry. In 1988, he formed the Janata Dal party by merging various factions of the Janata Party. In the 1989 elections, the National Front, with the support of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), formed the government and Singh became the prime minister.

During his tenure as prime minister, he implemented the Mandal Commission report for India's backward castes, which led to major protests against the act.

Under Singh's prime ministership in 1989, the Government of India released five terrorists in exchange for the release of kidnapped Rubaiya Sayeed, daughter of the Union Home Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. This was a turning point in the history of Kashmir militancy, which left a long lasting impact in Kashmir. In 1990 the exodus of Kashmiri Hindus from the valley of Kashmir took place.

Following his opposition to the Ram Rath Yatra, the BJP withdrew its support for the National Front, and his government lost the vote of no-confidence. Singh resigned on 7 November 1990. His prime ministerial tenure lasted for 343 days.