Who was Jaswant Singh? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Indian Celebrities Born In January

Died At Age: 82

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Sheetal Kanwar

father: Thakur Sardara Singh Rathore

mother: Kunwar Baisa

children: Manvendra Singh

Born Country: India

Political Leaders Indian Men

Height: 6'1" (185 cm), 6'1" Males

political ideology: (29 March 2014) - Political party - Bharatiya Janata Party - Independent

Died on: September 27, 2020

place of death: New Delhi, India

More Facts

education: Mayo College

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Childhood & Early Life

Jaswant Singh was born into a Rajput family on January 3, 1938, at village Jasol, Barmer district, Rajasthan. His father was Thakur Sardara Singh and mother was Kunwar Baisa.

He grew up to be a confused teenager and was looking for a direction when he decided to join the army on a whim. As a 15 year old in 1953, he became a cadet in what was then called the Joint Services Wing (JSW), intended to train cadets of all the three services.

Military training was an enriching experience for the young boy, and he learned the importance of discipline, self-control, and time management. The intensive physical training taught him the value of good health and physical fitness.

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Career

Jaswant Singh was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Indian Army in December 1957. He opted for the Central India Horse (CIH) and was selected for it. He was amongst the top ten in the Passing Out Order.

He served in the army for about nine years until November 1966. Even though he was initially enthusiastic about becoming a commissioned officer at the age of 19 in 1957, soon he became disillusioned with army life and resigned from service in 1966.

By this time he had developed a keen interest in politics and was very determined to establish himself in a political career. However, the next few years were difficult for him and he struggled to find a foothold in Indian politics.

Jaswant Singh started tasting success in the 1980s. BJP stalwart Bhairon Singh Shekhawat took him under his wing and became his political mentor. Jaswant Singh was initiated in the Jan Sangh and soon selected for the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of Indian parliament.

In 1986, he was re-elected to Rajya Sabha for a second term. From 1986 to 1989, he served as a member of Public Accounts Committee, Committee on Public Undertakings, and Committee on Privileges. He was also a member of Consultative Committee constituted under the Punjab State Legislature (Delegation of Powers) Act, 1987.

He held several other portfolios over the next few years and served as the Finance minister in the short-lived government of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, which lasted from May 16, 1996, to June 1, 1996.

Vajpayee became the Prime Minister again after a couple of years. This time Jaswant Singh became the Minister for External Affairs of India, serving from December 5, 1998, to July 1, 2002. In this position he prudently dealt with the delicate Indo-Pakistan issue.

He became the Finance Minister again in 2002, replacing Yashwant Sinha. In this role he was instrumental in defining and pushing through the market-friendly reforms of the government. In 2004, he was a member of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Installation of Portraits / Statues of National Leaders and Parliamentarians in Parliament House Complex.

From 2004 to 2006, he served on the Committee on Science and Technology, Environment & Forests and Committee on Water Resources. In 2004, he also became Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, a post he served until 2009.

In 2009, he released a book called ‘Jinnah: India-Partition-Independence’, in which he praised Mohammad Ali Jinnah and claimed that the centralized policy of Jawaharlal Nehru was responsible for Partition. The book proved to be highly controversial and Singh was expelled from the primary membership of BJP. He was readmitted to BJP in 2010.

In 2014, Jaswant Singh was again expelled from the party after he contested the 2014 Lok Sabha election as an independent candidate from the Barmer constituency against his own party candidate. Incidentally, he lost the election.

Major Works

As India’s External Affairs Minister, Jaswant Singh is much lauded for his efforts in handling relations with the United States which were strained after the 1998 Indian nuclear tests. As a skilled negotiator and diplomat, he helped to ease the relations between the two nations.

Awards & Achievements

He was presented with the Outstanding Parliamentarian Award for the year 2001.

Personal Life, Legacy & Death

Jaswant Singh was married to Sheetal Kanwar. They had two sons.

Death

Jaswant Singh died on September 27, 2020, of cardiac arrest. He was 82.

Jaswant Singh Biography

Death