Inder Kumar Gujral

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Inder Kumar Gujral
Ambassador of India to the Soviet Union
In office
1976–1980
Preceded byDurga Prasad Dhar
Succeeded byV. K. Ahuja
Personal details
Born(1919-12-04)4 December 1919
Gurugram, Haryana
, India
MonumentsSmriti Sthal
Political party
Spouse
(m. 1945; died 2011)
Children2, including
Forman Christian College University
Panjab University

Inder Kumar Gujral (4 December 1919 – 30 November 2012) was an Indian diplomat, politician and freedom activist who served as the 12th prime minister of India from April 1997 to March 1998.[2]

Born in

Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha
.

He was the

Gujral doctrine during this period. He was appointed the 12th Prime Minister of India
in 1997. His tenure lasted for less than a year.

He retired from all political positions in 1998. He died in 2012 at the age of 92, following hospitalization due to a lung infection.

Early and personal life

Family

Inder Kumar Gujral was born on 4 December 1919 in a

All India Students Federation. He also participated in the Indian independence movement,[5] and was jailed in 1942 during the Quit India Movement.[6] As a student, he became a member of the Communist Party of India.[7] He also has two sisters, Uma Nanda and Sunita Judge. On 26 May 1945, Inder Kumar Gujral married Sheila Gujral (24 January 1924 – 11 July 2011)[8][9][10] and had two sons, Naresh Gujral (born 19 May 1948), who is a Rajya Sabha MP, and Vishal Gujral. IK Gujral's younger brother Satish Gujral was a world-renowned painter and sculptor.[11]

Education

Gujral's hobbies included poetry;[12] he spoke Urdu and was, after his death, eulogised as a lover of the language by Maulana Azad National Urdu University, an institution where he held the position of chancellor.[13] His wife Sheila Gujral, an acclaimed poet, died on 11 July 2011 after an illness. The couple had two sons, Naresh, who is a Shiromani Akali Dal MP in the Rajya Sabha,[14] and Vishal. The couple also have two granddaughters and a grandson.

Early politics

Gujral became vice-president of the

Ambassador of India to the Soviet Union[5] by Indira Gandhi and stayed on during the tenures of Morarji Desai and Charan Singh.[7] He was rumoured to have been shunted out of the ministry due to conflicts with the prime minister's son, Sanjay Gandhi,[12][17] over media censorship,[16] and was replaced by Vidya Charan Shukla, who had no qualms following party lines on the matter; he was then moved to the Planning Ministry.[7]

Janata Dal

Gujral resigned from the

Patna in Bihar. However, the election was countermanded[5] following complaints of 'irregularities'.[19] In 1992, Gujral was selected to the Rajya Sabha with the help of Lalu Prasad Yadav.[5]

Subsequent to the

Gujral Doctrine' which emphasised better relations with India's neighbours and was refined when he became prime minister.[7] He also served as Union Minister or Minister of State of several other portfolios—Communications and Parliamentary Affairs, Information and Broadcasting, Works and Housing and Planning.[20]

The Indian National Congress party had been supporting the United Front government from outside, but citing its wish to have the incumbent prime minister replaced, decided to withdraw support;[16] this led to the government's collapse in April 1997. To avoid mid-term elections, a compromise was reached: the INC agreed to support another United Front government under a new leader, provided its concerns—such as not being consulted before taking important decisions and being marginalised—were addressed. The United Front elected Gujral as its new leader, and he was sworn in as Prime Minister on 21 April 1997.

Prime Minister (1997–1998)

Gujral became prime minister as the consensus candidate between others that included

Harkishen Singh Surjeet called for action against Yadav and for the resignation of other RJD members;[24] while the same was said by JD members Sharad Yadav, H. D. Deve Gowda and Ram Vilas Paswan who called for the dismissal of accused RJD members Kanti Singh, Raghuvansh Prasad Singh and Captain Jai Narain Nishad. Though INC chairperson Sitaram Kesri offered minor calls for Yadav's resignation, Yadav then offered Gujral support to run from any Lok Sabha constituency in Bihar to get his support. Gujral, however, was silent on the matter,[25] but later controversially transferred the CBI director Joginder Singh, who was investigating the case against Yadav, and replaced him with R. C. Sharma, who said Gujral would directly control the CBI and that the pace of investigating many sensational cases "will definitely slacken now."[26] However, Yadav was still expelled from the party by JD leader Sharad Yadav, before forming his own Rashtriya Janata Dal in 1997.[27]

President of India Shankar Dayal Sharma administering the oath of office of Prime Minister of India to Shri I. K. Gujral at the Rashtrapati Bhavan

Another controversial decision of his government was its recommendation of

Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.[16]

On 28 August 1997, the

M. Venkaiah Naidu said the party would "throttle" INC attempts to form a new government.[37] The president then dissolved parliament on 4 December,[38] triggering a snap election
.

Gujral was the third PM to be from the Rajya Sabha, following Indira Gandhi (January 1966 - March 1969)[39] and H. D. Deve Gowda (June 1996 - April 1997). They were followed by Manmohan Singh (May 2004 - May 2014).[40]

As a Prime minister, Gujral had a practice of reserving Friday mornings for meeting the general public.[41]

Gujral as Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

Gujral Doctrine

The Gujral Doctrine is a set of five principles to guide the conduct of foreign relations with India's

Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies):[42]

The United Front Government's neighbourhood policy now stands on five basic principles: First, with the neighbours like Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives and Sri Lanka, India does not ask for reciprocity but gives all that it can in good faith and trust. Secondly, no South Asian country will allow its territory to be used against the interest of another country of the region. Thirdly, none will interfere in the internal affairs of another. Fourthly, all South Asian countries must respect each other's territorial integrity and sovereignty. And finally, they will settle all their disputes through peaceful bilateral negotiations. These five principles, scrupulously observed, will, I am sure, recast South Asia's regional relationship, including the tormented relationship between India and Pakistan, in a friendly, cooperative mould.

He wrote in his autobiography of the doctrine: "The logic behind the Gujral Doctrine was that since we had to face two hostile neighbours in the north and the west, we had to be at 'total peace' with all other immediate neighbours in order to contain Pakistan's and China's influence in the region."[7]

Following a series of attacks throughout the 2000s, said by the Indian media and government to have originated from and been planned in Pakistan, culminating with the 2008 Mumbai attacks, the Gujral Doctrine was criticised by the Indian media. Following the attack, India Today said that targeted, covert strikes against Pakistani organisations such as Lashkar-e-Taiba were a "capability that I.K. Gujral dismantled as prime minister over a decade ago will take over a year to rebuild."[43] The major setback of the Gujral Doctrine is said to be the debilitating impact it had on the R&AW's (Research and Analysis Wing) ability to conduct operations in Pakistan. On his orders Pakistan's special operations desk of R&AW was shut down leading to major gaps in India's intelligence capabilities. Analysts have time and again blamed this as the foremost factor for India's "intelligence failure" before the Kargil War commenced. It is said that this was because of Gujral's negligence towards such repercussions and his urge to leave an imprint on Indo-Pak relations that he did this.[44] However, it was also praised in the media.[45][46][47]

The snap

insurgency in Punjab during the 1980s and early 1990s, along with the state government of Punjab.[5]

Gujral was a member of the

Club de Madrid
after his tenure as the Prime Minister ended.

Illness and death

Former PM Manmohan Singh paying floral tribute to Gujral.
Hamid Ansari
giving tribute to Gujral on his first death Anniversary (2013).

Gujral was admitted at

Sushil Kumar Shinde, following which both houses adjourned. On 3 December, condolence references were held for him.[21]

Reactions came from President

Lal Krishna Advani
were amongst the dignitaries at his funeral.

Global policy

Along with his brother

Honours

Gujral on a 2020 stamp of India

Gujral has received several accolades and honours:

State honours

Decoration Country Date Note Ref.
Bangladesh Liberation War Honour  Bangladesh 21 October 2012 The second-highest honour of Bangladesh awarded to foreign dignitaries. [60]

Autobiography

References

  1. ^ Matters of Discretion – An autobiography by I. K. Gujral
  2. ^ "Shri Inder Kumar Gujral".
  3. ^ "Contact Us - IndiaInfoline". www.indiainfoline.com. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  4. ^ Ghai, Rajat (7 May 2014). "The office of Prime Minister: A largely north Indian upper-caste, Hindu affair". Business Standard India. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Ex-Prime Minister IK Gujral dies at 92". Tribune India. 1 December 2012. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  6. ^ McGirk, Jan (22 April 1997). "Indian intrigue on hold as PM is sworn in". The Independent. India. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
  7. ^ a b c d e "Gujral, the man behind the raw doctrine that set India behind – India – DNA". Dnaindia.com. December 2012. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  8. ^ "Shri Inder Kumar Gujral | Prime Minister of India".
  9. .
  10. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 31 October 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: others (link
    )
  11. ^ "Satish Gujral, renowned artist and architect, dies at 94". The Week. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  12. ^ a b c d "Business Line: News: Architect of 'Gujral Doctrine' is no more". Business Line. 30 November 2012. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  13. ^ "Urdu university pays tributes to its first chancellor Gujral". The Siasat Daily. 30 November 2012. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  14. ^ "Sheila Gujral no more". The Indian Express. 11 July 2011. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
  15. ^ "NMDC History". NMDC. Archived from the original on 15 December 2012. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  16. ^ a b c d e "Inder Kumar Gujral dead, but his doctrine still relevant – The Economic Times". The Economic Times. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  17. ^ "Former PM IK Gujral cremated with full state honours". Zee News. 2 December 2012. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  18. ^ a b "Remembering IK Gujral". Punjab News Express. 30 November 2012. Archived from the original on 3 December 2012. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  19. ^ "Lalu introduced Gujral as 'Gujjar' to the people of Patna". Archived from the original on 3 December 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2012.
  20. ^ "RIP IK Gujral: A look at the man who gave India 'Gujral doctrine'". Daily Bhaskar. 30 November 2012. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  21. ^ a b c Former PM IK Gujral passes away (28 August 2011). "Former PM IK Gujral passes away". Daily Pioneer. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  22. ^ "The legacy of Inder Kumar Gujral". NDTV. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  23. ^ "Laloo's fate sealed, legal experts assure Gujral". Rediff. Archived from the original on 17 February 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  24. ^ "Get tough on Laloo Yadav, Gujral told". Rediff. Archived from the original on 18 February 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  25. ^ "Gujral caught in JD-RJD crossfire". Rediff. 19 December 1997. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  26. ^ "Go easy on politicians, sensitive investigations, govt tells new CBI chief". Rediff. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  27. ^ "Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) : Parties, News – India Today". India Today. 19 October 2010. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  28. ^ "Allahabad high court declares President's rule in UP 'unconstitutional'". Rediff. Archived from the original on 18 February 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  29. ^ "Panel to study Jain commission report on Rajiv killing". Rediff. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  30. . Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  31. ^ "Jain Commission Revelations: Damning The Dmk The Inquiry Into Rajiv Gandhi's Killing Indicts The Dmk For Colluding With The Ltte". CSCS Archive. Retrieved 2 December 2012.[permanent dead link]
  32. ^ "Jain Commission report may upset UF applecart". Rediff. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  33. ^ "Joint Parliamentary Committee on Jain panel report to bail out Gujral". Rediff. 17 November 1997. Archived from the original on 18 February 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  34. ^ "Karunanidhi hits back". Front Line. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  35. ^ "Only a miracle will save Gujral". Rediff. 20 November 1997. Archived from the original on 18 February 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  36. ^ Burns, John F (29 November 1997). "Premier of India quits, deepening political bedlam". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
  37. ^ "Congress withdraws support to UF govt; PM resigns". Rediff. 29 November 1997. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  38. . Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  39. ^ "Inder Kumar Gujral: PM who governed from the Rajya Sabha". India Today. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  40. ^ "Dr. Manmohan Singh | Prime Minister of India". www.pmindia.gov.in. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  41. ^ "Rediff On The NeT: Gujral shakes a weary head: Distressing, most distressing..." www.rediff.com. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  42. ^ "Anil Kumar Reddy asked: What is Gujral Doctrine". IDSA. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  43. ^ Sandeep Unnithan; Ramesh Vinayak (22 December 2008). "India"s Al Qaeda". India Today. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  44. ^ "Gujral, the man behind the raw doctrine that set India behind". DNA India. 14 May 2020.
  45. ^ "B G Verghese says the Gujral doctrine is the only thing that will work in India's relations with its neighbours". Rediff.com. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  46. ^ a b Vidya Subrahmaniam (December 2012). "Today's Paper News : I.K. Gujral, author of key foreign policy doctrine, dies at 92". The Hindu. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  47. ^ "Gujral Doctrine a milestone in India's foreign policy". News24online.com. 4 December 1919. Archived from the original on 10 April 2016. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  48. ^ "Former PM, IK Gujral admitted to Gurgaon hospital for lung infection". 25 November 2012. Retrieved 25 November 2012.
  49. ^ "I. K. Gujral stable but critical". Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  50. ^ "Firstpost Politics India's diplomatic politician and former PM IK Gujral passes away". First Post (India).
  51. ^ "Former Prime Minister I.K.Gujral Passes Away". The Times of India. 30 November 2012. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  52. ^ "Former PM I K Gujral passes away". Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  53. ^ "Former Prime Minister I K Gujral was a "scholar-statesman": PM". NDTV.com. NDTV. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  54. ^ "Bihar government declares three-day mourning on I K Gujral's death". Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  55. ^ "Farooq Abdullah, Srikant Jena give tributes to Gujral, recall Gujral doctrine". MSN. 31 December 1999. Archived from the original on 3 December 2012. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  56. ^ "Gujral was ahead of his times: Rajapaksa". News24online.com. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  57. ^ "Letters from Thane Read asking Helen Keller to sign the World Constitution for world peace. 1961". www.afb.org. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  58. ^ "Letter from World Constitution Coordinating Committee to Helen, enclosing current materials". www.afb.org. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  59. ^ "Preparing earth constitution | Global Strategies & Solutions | The Encyclopedia of World Problems". The Encyclopedia of World Problems | Union of International Associations (UIA). Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  60. ^ Grateful to you all: PM tells 61 friends of Liberation War from abroad The Daily Star.

External links

Political offices
Preceded by Minister of External Affairs
1989–1990
Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of External Affairs
1996–1998
Succeeded by
Preceded by Prime Minister of India
1997–1998
Chairperson of the Planning Commission
1997–1998
Preceded by Minister of Finance
1997–1997
Succeeded by