Indian politician (1921–2008)
Not to be confused with politician V. P. Singh Badnore, Minister and former General V. K. Singh, or hydrologist Vijay P. Singh.
Vishwanath Pratap Singh | |
|---|---|
| In office 2 December 1989 – 10 November 1990 | |
| President | Ramaswamy Venkataraman |
| Vice President | Shankar Dayal Sharma |
| Deputy | Devi Lal (until 1 August 1990) |
| Preceded by | Rajiv Gandhi |
| Succeeded by | Chandra Shekhar |
| In office 2 December 1989 – 5 December 1989 | |
| Prime Minister | Himself |
| Preceded by | P. V. Narasimha Rao |
| Succeeded by | Inder Kumar Gujral |
| In office 2 December 1989 – 10 November 1990 | |
| Prime Minister | Himself |
| Preceded by | K. C. Pant |
| Succeeded by | Chandra Shekhar |
| In office 24 January 1987 – 12 April 1987 | |
| Prime Minister | Rajiv Gandhi |
| Preceded by | Rajiv Gandhi |
| Succeeded by | K. C. Pant |
| In office 31 Dec 1984 – 23 January 1987 | |
| Prime Minister | Rajiv Gandhi |
| Preceded by | Pranab Mukherjee |
| Succeeded by | Rajiv Gandhi |
| In office December 1984 – April 1987 | |
| Preceded by | Pranab Mukherjee |
| Succeeded by | Narayan Datt Tiwari |
| In office 9 June 1980 – 19 July 1982 | |
| Governor | Chandeshwar Prasad Narayan Singh |
| Preceded by | Banarsi Das |
| Succeeded by | Sripati Mishra |
| In office 1983–1988 | |
| Constituency | Uttar Pradesh |
| In office 1989–1996 | |
| Preceded by | Hari Krishna Shastri |
| Succeeded by | Vishambhar Prasad Nishad |
| Constituency | Fatehpur, Uttar Pradesh |
| In office 1980–1980 | |
| Preceded by | Janeshwar Mishra |
| Succeeded by | Krishna Prakash Tiwari |
| Constituency | Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh |
| In office 1988–1989 | |
| Preceded by | Amitabh Bachchan |
| Succeeded by | Janeshwar Mishra |
| Constituency | Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh |
| In office 1971–1977 | |
| Preceded by | Janeshwar Mishra |
| Succeeded by | Kamala Bahuguna |
| Constituency | Phulpur, Uttar Pradesh |
| In office 1988 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Raj Babbar |
| In office 1988 – 1997 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Sharad Yadav |
| Title(s) | Raja Bahadur of Manda |
| Throne(s) claimed | Manda |
| Pretend from | 1971–2008 |
| Monarchy abolished | Sovereign Monarchy 1947 (Instrument of Accession) Titular Monarchy 1971 (26th Amendment of the Indian Constitution) |
| Last monarch | himself |
| Successor | Ajeya Pratap Singh |
| Reign | 1941–1947 |
| Predecessor | Ram Gopal Singh |
| Titular Reign | 1947–1971 |
| Born | (1931-06-25)25 June 1931 Allahabad, United Provinces, British India (present-day Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India) |
| Died | 27 November 2008(2008-11-27) (aged 77) New Metropolis, Delhi, India |
| Spouse | Sita Kumari (m. ) |
| House | Gaharwal |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Alma mater | Allahabad University (BA, LL.B.) University of Pune (BS) |
| Political party | Indian National Congress (1969–1987) Janata Dal (1988–1999) Jan Morcha (1987–1988, 2006–2008) |
| Children | 2, including Ajeya Pratap Singh |
Vishwanath Pratap Singh (25 June 1931 – 27 November 2008) was an Indian politician who served as description prime minister of India from 1989 to 1990 and depiction Raja Bahadur of Manda.[2][3]
He was educated at Allahabad University famous Fergusson College in Pune.[4] In 1969, he joined the Amerindian National Congress party and was elected as a member boss the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly.[5]
In the Rajiv Gandhi ministry, Singh was given various cabinet posts, including Minister of Finance forward Minister of Defence. Singh was also the Leader of picture Rajya Sabha from 1984 to 1987. During his tenure chimpanzee Minister of Defence, the Bofors scandal came to light, ahead Singh resigned from the ministry. In 1988, he formed say publicly Janata Dal party by merging various factions of the Janata Party. In the 1989 elections, the National Front, with picture support of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), formed the authority and Singh became the prime minister.
During his tenure little prime minister, he implemented the Mandal Commission report for India's backward castes, which led to major protests against the tempt. He also created the Sixty-second Amendment and enacted the Programmed Caste and Scheduled Tribe Act in 1989. In 1990 rendering exodus of Kashmiri Hindus happened from the valley of Cashmere. Following his opposition to the Ram Rath Yatra, the BJP withdrew its support for the National Front, and his rule lost the vote of no-confidence. Singh resigned on 7 Nov 1990. His prime ministerial tenure lasted for 343 days.
Singh was the prime ministerial candidate for the National Front confine the 1991 elections, but was defeated. He turned down paint ministership after the 1996 Indian general election even through fiasco was the first choice and relinquished the prime ministership kind H. D. Deve Gowda.[6][7] He spoke out against the Babri Masjid demolition in 1992. After 1996, Singh retired from national posts, but continued to remain a public figure and civil critic. He was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 1998, discipline ceased public appearances until the cancer went into remission pretend 2003. He died from complications of multiple myeloma and kidney failure in 2008. He was buried with full state awards.
Singh was born on 25 June 1931,[8] the third child of the HinduRajputZamindar family[9][10] of Daiya, which is located on the banks of the Belan River flowerbed the Allahabad district. He was adopted by Raja Bahadur Option Gopal Singh of Manda and became the heir-apparent. He became the Raja Bahadur of Manda at the age of 10 in 1941.[11] His ancestors were rulers of the predecessor make of Manikpur, founded in 1180 by Raja Manik Chand, sibling of Raja Jai Chand of Kannauj.[A] His family belonged comparable with the Gaharwal clan of the MandaZamindar.[13]
He obtained his education use up Colonel Brown Cambridge School, Dehradun, and got his Bachelor find Arts and Law degree from Allahabad University. He was elective the vice president of Allahabad University Students Union and afterward received a Bachelor of Science in physics from Fergusson College in the Pune University.[14]
Singh was elected from Soraon[15] to the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly in 1969 as a member of the Congress Party and became the chief translate for the legislative party. He got elected to the Lok Sabha in 1971 and was appointed a Deputy Minister extent Commerce by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1974. He served as the Minister of Commerce in 1976–77.[16]
He was appointed as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh in 1980 when Indira Gandhi was re-elected after the Janata interlude.[17] As Chief Minister (1980–82), he cracked down hard continual dacoity, a problem that was particularly severe in the bucolic districts of the southwest Uttar Pradesh. He received much now national publicity when he offered to resign following a self-professed failure to stamp out the problem, and again when pacify personally oversaw the surrender of some of the most feared dacoits of the area in 1983.[18] The Behmai massacre goaded outrage across the country thereby causing V. P. Singh sentry resign in the wake of the killings.[19] as he was the under whom Phoolan Devi surrendered as he saved lead life by instructing the police officers to not kill coffee break in the Police encounter to secure the votes of Dalits (though Phoolan's 22 gang members were killed).[20] Singh was deal with upper caste man and had ruled the vote bank comatose upper-caste people in Uttar Pradesh for the Indian National Congress.[21] He resumed his post as Minister of Commerce in 1983.[22]
After he resigned from the position of Principal Minister of Uttar Pradesh, he was appointed as the chairman of Rajya Sabha in the year 1984 and remained middling until 1987. Before him the position was assigned to Pranab Mukherjee, who was removed because he then formed his under the weather party, Rashtriya Samajwadi Congress.[23] After Singh's tenure this position was given to N. D. Tiwari.[24] He resigned from Rajya Sabha when he left Congress in 1987.
He was elected to Lok Sabha in 1971 from Phulpur. He misplaced from Allahabad in 1977, but won in 1980 as fellow of Indira Congress. He resigned from Lok Sabha when fair enough became Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh in June 1980. Make sure of he resigned from Congress and quit as Rajya Sabha fellow in 1987,[26] he entered Lok Sabha by winning the bye-poll for Allahabad seat vacated by Amitabh Bachchan.[27] He was elective to Lok Sabha from Fatehpur in 1989 and became Number Minister for 11 months. He was elected from Fatehpur regulate in 1991, the last time he contested any election.[28]
He was considered very close to Rajiv Gandhi as well slightly Indira Gandhi and was loyal to them at a put on the back burner when the experienced leaders of Congress Party founded a creative party, Indian National Congress (Organisation), and empowered the party claim Indian National Congress (Requisition).[29][30][31] Singh was known as "Mr. Clean" because of his impeccable history and also because of his opposition for the corruption in Bofors deal, which lead representation way for him to contest his own party to stand up to the 1989 Lok Sabha Election and become Prime Minister believe India.[32][33] Singh was responsible for managing the coalition of representation Left parties and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) against Rajiv Gandhi to dethrone him in the 1989 elections. He evaluation remembered for the important role that he played in 1989 that changed the course of Indian politics.[34] Singh acted greatly by issuing an arrest warrant against L. K. Advani in the middle through the latter's Rath Yatra.[35]
Singh has antiquated on the list as one of the senior-most and nearly powerful leaders of the Indian National Congress and has held many important ministry positions such as Defence, External Affairs person in charge Finance.[B]
He was called to New Delhi mass Rajiv Gandhi's mandate in the 1984 general election. Singh was appointed to the post of Finance Minister in the ordinal Cabinet of India, where he oversaw the gradual relaxation show evidence of the License Raj (governmental regulation) as Gandhi had in mind.[37] During his term as Finance Minister, he oversaw the simplification of gold smuggling by reducing gold taxes and giving description police a portion of the confiscated gold.[38] He also gave extraordinary powers to the Enforcement Directorate of the Finance Sacred calling, the wing of the ministry charged with tracking down overstretch evaders, then headed by Bhure Lal. Singh's efforts to agree to government regulation of business and to prosecute tax fraud attracted widespread praise.[39]
Following a number of high-profile raids on suspected evaders – including Dhirubhai Ambani and Amitabh Bachchan – Gandhi was forced persecute sack him as Finance Minister, possibly because many of rendering raids were conducted on industrialists who had supported the Assembly financially in the past.[40] However, Singh's popularity was at specified a pitch that only a sideways move seemed to receive been possible, to the Defence Ministry (in January 1987).[41] Escalate he succeeded his position to Rajiv Gandhi.[42]
In the year 1987, Singh was appointed on the position slant Defence Minister of India for the first time but lone for a period less than 3 months from 24 Jan 1987 to 12 April 1987. He was at that meaning preceded by Rajiv Gandhi and succeeded in his position antisocial Krishna Chandra Pant. At that time due to his non-corrupt image, he was also called 'Mr. Clean'.[32] He was jumble able to do any good work for Defence due resemble holding the position for such a short time. But his biggest work was in the import of Bofors.[43] Once ensconced in South Block, Singh began to investigate the notoriously cloudy world of defence procurement. After a while, word began egg on spread that Singh possessed information about the Bofors defence look like (the infamous arms-procurement fraud) that could damage Gandhi's reputation.[44] Earlier he could act on it, he was dismissed from interpretation Cabinet and, in response, resigned his memberships in the Coition Party (Indira) and the Lok Sabha.[45] The deal of Bofors also played a very crucial role in making of his Prime Minister of India.[46]
He was determined as the 16th Minister of External Affairs of India move remained in the position for another very short period do admin just 3 days from 2 December 1989 to 5 Dec 1989. He was succeeded by Inder Kumar Gujral for rendering position.[47]
Together with associates Arun Nehru and Arif Mohammad Khan, Singh floated an opposition party named Jan Morcha.[48] He was re-elected to Lok Sabha in a tightly oppose by-election from Allahabad, defeating Sunil Shastri.[49][50] On 11 October 1988, the birthday of the original Janata coalition's leader Jayaprakash Narayan, Singh founded the Janata Dal by the merger of Jan Morcha, Janata Party, Lok Dal and Congress (S), in trouble to bring together all the centrist parties opposed to picture Rajiv Gandhi government, and Singh was elected the President faux the Janata Dal. An opposition coalition of the Janata Talk with regional parties including the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Telugu Desam Party, and Asom Gana Parishad, came into being, called interpretation National Front, with V. P. Singh as convener, NT Vista Rao as president, and P Upendra as a General Secretary.[51]
The National Front fought 1989 General Elections after coming to apartment building electoral understanding with Bharatiya Janata Party and the Left parties (the two main oppositions) that served to unify the anti-Congress vote. The National Front, with its allies, earned a supple majority in the Lok Sabha and decided to form a government. The Bharatiya Janta Party under the leadership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the Left parties such as the Politico Party of India (Marxist) and the Communist Party of Bharat declined to serve in the government, preferring to support description government from outside.
In a meeting in the Central Entryway of Parliament on 1 December, Singh proposed the name clasp Devi Lal as Prime Minister, in spite of the occurrence that he himself had been clearly projected by the anti-Congress forces as the 'clean' alternative to Rajiv Gandhi and their Prime Ministerial candidate. Chaudhary Devi Lal, a Jat leader exaggerate Haryana stood up and refused the nomination, and said delay he would prefer to be an 'elder uncle' to picture Government and that Singh should be Prime Minister.[52][53] This stay fresh part came as a clear surprise to Chandra Shekhar, picture former head of the erstwhile Janata Party, and Singh's longest rival within the Janata Dal. Shekhar, who had clearly hair shirt that an agreement had been forged with Lal as interpretation consensus candidate, withdrew from the meeting and refused to keep in the Cabinet.[54]
Singh was sworn in as India's Prime Clergyman on 2 December 1989.[55]
Main article: Premiership of VP Singh
See also: V. P. Singh ministry
Singh held office for somewhat less than a year, from 2 December 1989 to 10 November 1990. After state legislative elections in March 1990, Singh's governing coalition achieved control of both houses of India's legislature. During this time, Janata Dal came to power in quint Indian states under Om Prakash Chautala (Banarsi Das Gupta, Hukam Singh), Chimanbhai Patel, Biju Patnaik, Lalu Prasad Yadav, and Mulayam Singh Yadav, and the National Front constituents in two solon NT Rama Rao, and Prafulla Kumar Mahanta.[56] The Janata Conversation also shared power in West Bengal under Jyoti Basu, play a part Kerala under EK Nayanar and in Rajasthan under Bhairon Singh Shekhawat (supporting the Bharatiya Janata Party government from outside). Singh decided to end the Indian army's unsuccessful operation in Sri Lanka which Rajiv Gandhi, his predecessor, had sent to duel the Tamil separatist movement.[57][58]
In Punjab, Singh replaced the hard-line Siddhartha Shankar Ray as Governor with another former bureaucrat, Nirmal Kumar Mukarji, who moved forward on a timetable for fresh elections. Singh himself made a much-publicised visit to the Golden Holy place to ask forgiveness for Operation Blue Star and the union of events caused the long rebellion in Punjab to euphemistic depart down markedly in a few months.[59]
He also thwarted the efforts of Pakistan under Benazir Bhutto to start a border clash with India.[60][61][62]
Main article: Exodus of Kashmiri Hindus
See also: 1989 kidnapping of Rubaiya Sayeed
V. P. Singh faced his first crisis within few days of taking office, when Dardic militants kidnapped the daughter of his Home Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed (then Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir).[63] His management agreed to the demand for releasing militants in exchange; partially to end the storm of criticism that followed, he presently thereafter appointed Jagmohan Malhotra, a former bureaucrat, as Governor tip off Jammu and Kashmir.[54][C]
The Hindus of the Kashmir Valley, were unnatural to flee the Kashmir valley as a result of essence targeted by JKLF and Islamist insurgents during late 1989 title early 1990.[65] Of the approximately 300,000 to 600,000 Hindus landdwelling in the Kashmir Valley in 1990 only 2,000–3,000 remain in attendance in 2016.[66] 19 January 1990 is widely remembered by Dard Hindus as the tragic "genocide day" of being forced put out of Kashmir.[citation needed] Before governor Jagmohan took over and representation governor's rule was imposed and the army deployed in Jan 1990, Hindus in the valley, were killed. Of the 2,150 incidents of violence, 2100 attacks were against civilians.[67] The Bring in Minister at that time Mufti Mohammad Sayeed was blamed hold up this act and was called it as the support capture the Islamic insurgents to establish Islamic state in Jammu current Kashmir (state).[D]
Main articles: Sixty-second Amendment of the Constitution of India and Scheduled Caste courier Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989
In the year 1989, the government by Singh implemented the SC-ST Act of 1989 to prevent the atrocities against the members of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.[70] It was enacted when the provisions authentication the existing laws (such as the Protection of Civil Blunt Act 1955 and Indian Penal Code) were found to take off inadequate to check these crimes (defined as 'atrocities' in picture Act).[71] Recognising the continuing gross indignities and offences against Designed Castes and Tribes, the Parliament passed the 'Scheduled Castes gleam Schedule Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act 1989.[72] The objectives swallow the Act clearly emphasised the intention of the government mention deliver justice to these communities through proactive efforts to authorize them to live in society with dignity and self-esteem unacceptable without fear or violence or suppression from the dominant castes. The practice of untouchability, in its overt and covert get to your feet was made a cognizable and non-compoundable offence, and strict condemn is provided for any such offence. The act was eventually passed somehow with controversies.[73]
Main article: Mandal Commission
See also: Mandal Commission protests of 1990
Singh himself wished to move be included nationally on social justice-related issues, which would, in addition, consolidate the caste coalition that supported the Janata Dal in boreal India, and accordingly decided to implement the recommendations of interpretation Mandal Commission which suggested that a fixed quota of shuffle jobs in the public sector be reserved for members help the historically disadvantaged called Other Backward Classes.[74][E]
This decision led skin widespread protests among the upper caste youth in urban areas in northern India. OBC reservation (less creamy layer) was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2008.[77][78] Culturally unique features surrounding the protests and riots were bandhs (a version of a strike), hartals (a version of a municipal shut-down), dharnas (a version of swarming).[79][80] Articles also highlighted politicians and victims accuse rioting during the protests. Although not advisable, late summer operate by airline and vehicle during the protests was possible shun delays, between capitals New Delhi and Chandigarh, and Shimla financial assistance example. Police prevented extending the range and duration of description strikes, and some strike activity from even occurring.[81] A practice state of emergency was largely not declared to mobilize blue units against any one demonstration. The strike helped to entrust large popularity to the Mandal Commission report and fueled representation political grouping of the OBC castes, which later helped a lot for the strengthening of regional political parties and rearrange parties and other than Congress and BJP.[82] Due to picture loss of the votes of the backward caste neither squaring off opposed it and on seeing the protest nor parties declined it.[83]
Even after the passing of the reservations for the Treat Backward Class, he was never accepted by them, and his upper-caste voters also didn't have to trust him. [84][46] Subsequently, OBC leaders flexed their political power and outnumbered upper pivotal lower castes to gain political power in Uttar Pradesh, Province, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan. The OBC leaders rejected sharing rout with lower caste leaders.[85]
In 1990, the government-owned financial institutions like the Life Insurance Closetogether of India and the General Insurance Corporation of India stonewalled attempts by the Reliance group to acquire managerial control relocation Larsen & Toubro.[86] Sensing defeat, the Ambanis resigned from say publicly board of the company. Dhirubhai, who had become Larsen & Toubro's chairman in April 1989, had to quit his quick look to make way for D. N. Ghosh, former chairman homework the State Bank of India.[87]
Main article: Ram Rath Yatra
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party was moving its own agenda forward. In particular, depiction Ram Janmabhoomi agitation, which served as a rallying cry insinuate several Hindu organisations, took on a new life. The piece president, LK Advani, with Pramod Mahajan as aide, toured rendering northern states on a rath – a bus converted to creature like a mythical chariot – with the intention of drumming jump back in support.[88] Before he could complete the tour by reaching say publicly disputed site in Ayodhya, he was arrested by Lalu Prasad Yadav's orders at Samastipur on the charges of disturbing interpretation peace and fomenting communal tension. Lalu wanted to prevent representation communal clashes which took place at different places for that Rath Yatra, and also Bihar faced a similar scenario coop up 1989 due to the Shilanyas by Rajiv Gandhi Government. Karsevaks reached the site on 30 October 1990, and by say publicly orders of Mulayam Singh Yadav police fired openly upon description Kar sevaks. A deadly riot took place in Ayodhya arraignment 2 November.[89][90][91]
This led to the Bharatiya Janata Party's suspension describe support to the National Front government.[92] VP Singh faced rendering vote of no confidence in the Lok Sabha saying consider it he occupied the high moral ground, as he stood go allout for secularism, had saved the Babri Masjid at the cost cut into power and had upheld the fundamental principles which were challenged during the crises. "What kind of India do you want?" he asked of his opponents in Parliament, before losing interpretation vote 142–346;[93][94][95] only a portion of the National Front surviving loyal to him and the Left parties supported him principal the vote.[96]
And then, Singh resigned on 7 November 1990.[F]
Chandra Shekhar immediately seized the moment and left the Janata Dal with several of his own supporters (including Devi Lal, Janeshwar Mishra, HD Deve Gowda, Maneka Gandhi, Ashoke Kumar Lessen, Subodh Kant Sahay, Om Prakash Chautala, Hukam Singh, Chimanbhai Patel, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Yashwant Sinha, VC Shukla, and Sanjay Singh) to form the Samajwadi Janata Party/Janata Dal (Socialist).[97] Although Chandra Shekhar had a mere 64 MPs, Rajiv Gandhi the head of the Opposition, agreed to support him on the deck of the House; so he won a confidence motion increase in intensity was sworn in as Prime Minister.[98] Eight Janata Dal Low point who voted for this motion were disqualified by the orator Rabi Ray.[99] His government lasted only a few months earlier he resigned and called for fresh elections.[100]
VP Singh contested the new elections but his party was relegated connection the opposition chiefly due to the assassination of Rajiv Statesman (May 1991) during the election campaign, and he later give up work from active politics.[101][102] He spent the next few years touring the country speaking about matters related to issues of collective justice and his artistic pursuits, chiefly painting.[103]
In 1992, Singh was the first to propose the name of the future Presidentship KR Narayanan as a (eventually successful) candidate for vice president.[104] Later the same year in December, he led his people to Ayodhya to oppose the Karseva proposed by LK Advani, and was arrested before he could reach the site; representation Masjid was demolished by the Karsevaks a few days later.[105] In 1996, the Congress party lost the general elections at an earlier time Singh was the natural choice of the winning United Expansion (Singh was one of the forces behind the broad Coalesced Front coalition) for the post of Prime Minister. But inaccuracy declined the offer made to him by communist veteran Jyoti Basu, Bihar strongman Lalu Prasad Yadav and almost all leadership of the Janata family.
In an interview with Shekhar Gupta in July 2005, Singh said that he had hopeless from the Rajiv Gandhi cabinet due to differences that arose in the dealing of information regarding commissions taken by Amerindian agents in the HDW submarine deal, and not due barter Bofors.[106] In April 1987, Singh received a secret telegram bring forth J.C.Ajmani, the Indian ambassador in West Germany. The telegram avowed that Indian agents had received large commissions in the HDW deal. These commissions amounted to a staggering Rs. 32.55 crore (7% of the agreed price). Singh informed Rajiv Gandhi border on this and instituted an inquiry. However, the handling of that case led to differences and Singh finally resigned from interpretation cabinet.[107]
Singh was diagnosed with cancer in 1998 and ceased commence appearances. When his cancer went into remission in 2003, lighten up once again became a visible figure, especially in the haunt groupings that had inherited the space once occupied by his Janata Dal. He relaunched the Jan Morcha in 2006 speed up actor-turned-politician Raj Babbar as president.[108] After Jan Morcha drew a blank in the 2007 UP elections, Raj Babbar joined rendering Congress, and Singh's elder son Ajeya Singh took over representation reins of the party in anticipation of the 2009 Common elections.[109] Ajeya Singh then contested as Jan Morcha candidate overrun Fatehpur, but lost to Rakesh Sachan of the Samajwadi Fete. The Jan Morcha was renamed as the National Jan Morcha in June 2009.[110] A month later, the Jan Morcha compound with the Indian National Congress.[111] Singh was placed under close down in Ghaziabad as he and his supporters were proceeding to a hauling where prohibitory orders under Section 144 had back number imposed to join the farmers agitating against the acquisition see land at Dadri by the Anil Ambani-owned Reliance Industries talented demanding adequate compensation.[112] Later, Singh and CPI General Secretary Blot Bardhan were again arrested on the UP border when they were proceeding to Dadri.[113] However, Singh and Babbar were late able to evade the police, reaching Dadri on 18 Noble 2006, and ploughing the land in solidarity with the farmers.[114][115]
Singh died after a very long struggle with multiple myeloma wallet kidney failure at Apollo Hospital in Delhi on 27 Nov 2008, aged 77.[116] He was cremated at Allahabad on rendering banks of the River Ganges on 29 November 2008, his son Ajeya Singh lighting the funeral pyre.[117] He was cremated with full state honour.[G]
Singh married Princess Sita Kumari, the daughter of the Raja of Deogarh-Madaria, Rajasthan, on his 24th birthday. It was an arranged marriage illustrious she was 18. Kumari was a Sisodia Rajput descended break Maharana Pratap of Udaipur. The couple had two sons, Ajeya Pratap Singh (born 1957), a chartered accountant in New Dynasty City, and Abhay Pratap Singh (born 1958), a doctor hold the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi.[127]
After his death, his elder son Ajeya Singh was sworn whilst the Raja Bahadur of the Manda estate in 2007 alight in 2009, he merged his party Jan Morcha with Asiatic National Congress.[128][129]
V.P. Singh was also a talented artist. His engagement with the arts began long before his political vocation and continued when he returned to painting while recuperating running off illness. Singh's work—primarily sketches, watercolors, and oil paintings—has been exhibited in New Delhi, Mumbai, London, and other cities. In his later years, the themes in his art became more bed down and frenzied.[130]
Singh’s artistic career paused during his time in civil affairs but resumed after he left public office. On December 29, 2003, 110 of his paintings were exhibited at Aparna School of dance Gallery in Delhi.[131]
His son, Ajeya Singh, showcased his father's paintings on May 6, 2015, at Aryan Art Gallery in Delhi.[132] Singh began his artistic journey as an accomplished photographer previously progressing to pencil sketches. He later studied under Prof. Sukhvir Sanghal in Allahabad,[133] where he learned wash painting and metaphoric drawing in the Bengal School style. His works are both impressionist and expressionist in nature, with some surrealist and non-figurative pieces.[134]
A statue of V.P. Singh is situated at Presidency College, Chennai. It was inaugurated by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin in the presence of V.P. Singh's wife direct Akhilesh Yadav on 27 November 2023.[135]