Buta Singh

Buta Singh Biography

Buta Singh is an Indian politician associated with Indian National Congress. He is a senior politician and leader of the party, who has served as a parliamentarian and cabinet minister in Rajiv Gandhi’s cabinet. He served as Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Rural Development during the period 1984 to 1986 in Rajiv Gandhi’s ministry, after the death of Indira Gandhi. A close associative of Indira Gandhi too, he served as her cabinet minister twice. He is the former chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes who carried the position during the period 2007-2010. An active politician till now, he was associated with election campaigns of Congress Party for the general election of 2014 from Jalore District. He also served as the governor of Bihar.

He was born on 21 March 1934 in Mustafapur, Jalandhar district, Punjab. He graduated from Lyallpur Khalsa College in Jalandhar and later completed Master’s and a Ph. D too. Before joining politics he was active in journalism. He first joined Akali Dal before he joined Indian National Congress in the late 1960s. He contested his first elections representing Akali Dal. He got elected to Indian parliament for the first time from Sadhna constituency and he represented Indian National Congress. Since then he became a close associative of Jawaharlal Nehru and his political family. He stood as a loyal member with Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi too, and later with Narasimha Rao.

He won Lok Sabha elections eight times - 3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th, 10th, 12th and 13^th. He has also served as the General Secretary of AICC and General Secretary (1978-1980), apart from his tenure as cabinet minister thrice in Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Narasimha Rao’s cabinets. He has served the portfolios – Home Ministry, railways, commerce, parliamentary affairs, sports, shipping, agriculture, communications and housing etc. Punjabi Speaking State - A Critical Analysis – is his published book.

Published: N/A

Updated: January 28, 2016