Amidst climate of hate, none cares to remember VP Singh, not even his family

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat*

It was former Prime Minister Vishwanath Pratap Singh's birthday on June 25. He would have turned 93 on this day. A man of great idealism and conviction, VP changed the politics of power in India that became more inclusive in terms of participation and representation of the marginalised in our highest decision making bodies.

Humble and polite, he was a man easily accessible to all. In today's political climate of hatred, bigotry and mistrust, he would have been an ideal person to bring all forces of social justice and secularism together. Political leaders should go through his old speeches and the vilification campaign he went through when he resigned from the Rajiv Gandhi's' cabinet and later expelled from the Congress.

Bigger vilification happened when he got the Mandal Commission Report accepted in Parliament. He was a victim of hatred and yet it never expressed any sign of anger in his speeches and behaviour. He was exceptionally measured and articulate in his responses and never targeted anyone personally.

The Brahmanical middle classes of India hated him to the core because he remained committed to the idealism of social justice. Even when we saw 2024 elections and the agenda of social justice being spoken by all, Congress and Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh, the irony is, both these parties despised him.

The man who dedicated his huge land to the landless, who gave Baba Saheb Ambedkar along with Nelson Mandela Bharat Ratna, who installed Baba Saheb's' life size portrait in Parliament, who allowed reservation for scheduled caste converts to Buddhism and who ultimately sacrificed his life to protect Babari Masjid in October 1991, hardly finds any mention.

VP fought against corruption at the higher level. He was the person who proposed the name of Dr KR Narayanan , first as Vice President and then as President of India. None remembers his contribution in working for slum dwellers and ensuring they get ration cards and other facilities.

It is also rarely remembered that as a finance minister of India, he started operation clean up in the financial sector, and that resulted in arrest and notices of various industrialists. We all remember him for providing a 27% quota for the OBCs.

There is not a single memorial, lane or museum, school or college in VP's name in India. Last year, Tamilnadu Chief Minister MK Stalin organised a big programme in the memory of VP Singh to unveil his life size statue in Chennai but that apart none of social justice parties bother to remember him in North India.

V P's conts has not been fully recognised. His writings, poetry and political actions should be studied and taught in the schools and colleges. There are very few good books on him.

I got an opportunity to visit his Manda Fort recently (video). I was saddened to see that a beautiful heritage building was allowed to be ruined by his own family. He belonged to two places, Dahiya and Manda. We can complain that the Brahmanical elite, insensitive governments are not bothered about his contribution, but why can't his family develop a memorial at Manda?

How is it possible for any political party to ignore VP Singh and his enormous contribution in social and political life in Uttar Pradesh, when social justice is going to be an important slogan of political parties in the coming days. Will they wake up and speak up for the man who did not impose his children and family in politics ?

Can Manda Fort be developed into a Memorial of VP Singh and his idealism of social justice and humanism? Let us hope family, friends and admirers of VP Singh will think about this and act to keep his memory alive.

---

*Human rights defender

Comments

King Corona and his descendents: How long will the Dynasty last?

By Dr Amitav Banerjee, MD* “Corona ” is in the media once again, precipitating a déjà-vu feeling and some amount of panic among the people. Among viruses and microorganisms King Corona and its descendents enjoy Royalty Status. "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." This classic quote from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is well known. But does it hold well in current times? The events during the past five years challenge the Bard's view.

The WHO Pandemic Agreement: Why India should reconsider its stance

By Dr Amitav Banerjee, MD* For more than the past three years, the WHO has been trying its best to push the Pandemic Treaty and amendments to the International Health Regulations in unholy haste, instead of conducting a proper appraisal of the impact of the measures taken during the Covid-19 pandemic—a routine exercise after any pandemic to guide future strategies. This raises questions about whether the WHO, under China’s influence, is trying to conceal its acts of omission and commission during the pandemic, including obstructing investigations into the origins of SARS-CoV-2. The WHO recently faced a setback when the USA decided to cut all ties with the organization.

Old bias, new excuses: How western media misrepresents India’s anti-terror strikes

By Gajanan Khergamker The recent Indian military strikes on Pakistan, dubbed Operation Sindoor, have sparked a storm of international media coverage. Several prominent outlets have portrayed India as the aggressor in the escalating conflict, raising concerns over biased reporting. This commentary critiques coverage by foreign media outlets such as The New York Times , Reuters, BBC, and CNN, which have often been accused of framing India’s actions as escalatory while downplaying or omitting critical context regarding Pakistan’s role in fostering terrorism. By examining historical patterns and current geopolitical dynamics, this analysis highlights the recurring selective framing, omission of evidence, and a tendency to favor narratives aligned with Western geopolitical interests over factual nuance.

India’s 2021 excess deaths: was it the virus — or the containment frenzy?

By Bhaskaran Raman* Tyagu (name changed), a vegetable vendor recalls of his brother’s death in 2021. The victim had a normal fever, but was forcibly taken away to the hospital saying that it was Covid. He had been coerced into taking the Covid-19 “vaccines” by that time. After 10 days in hospital, he died. There was no proper information during his hospital stay, and no one was allowed to visit, saying that visitors could also get Covid.

Killed in Chhattisgarh encounter, this Maoist leader suffered from overreliance on military actions

By Harsh Thakor* Namballa Keshava Rao, also known as Basav Raj, General Secretary of the banned CPI (Maoist), was killed in an encounter in which 27 Maoist cadre died during a security operation in the Abujhmad forest, Narayanpur district, Chhattisgarh, on the morning of May 21. This marks the first time in the history of the CPI (Maoist) that its General Secretary has been killed in an encounter. Rao is the second General Secretary after Charu Mazumdar to be killed by security forces.

Environmental report raises alarm: Sabarmati one of four rivers with nonylphenol contamination

By Rajiv Shah A new report by Toxics Link , an Indian environmental research and advocacy organisation based in New Delhi, in collaboration with the Environmental Defense Fund , a global non-profit headquartered in New York, has raised the alarm that Sabarmati is one of five rivers across India found to contain unacceptable levels of nonylphenol (NP), a chemical linked to "exposure to carcinogenic outcomes, including prostate cancer in men and breast cancer in women."

Crying air, water, and earth: A call to conserve our dying natural resources

By Dr. Gurinder Kaur* Air, water, and earth—these natural resources are essential for the survival of all living beings, including humans, animals, and plants. Life in any form is impossible without them. These are precious gifts of nature to humankind. However, in the pursuit of economic growth, modern humans have severely polluted these valuable resources in an attempt to satisfy their greed.

Ninety years of the socialist movement in India: What's the path head

By Dr. Sunilam* We are all aware of what the leaders active in the socialist movement have accomplished over the past 90 years. We are also well-acquainted with the sacrifices made by leaders and workers during the freedom struggle and the socialist movement. For the past 45 years, since I became interested in joining the socialist movement as an activist, I have been keen on understanding and analyzing its history. Inspired by 101-year-old freedom fighter Dr. G.G. Parikh and in collaboration with comrades from the Socialist Samagam, I have actively participated in organizing events to mark the 82nd, 85th, and now the 90th anniversaries of the socialist movement.

Search This Blog