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Rockfeller of
India
As the chief minister, he launched the 'Antyodaya' scheme for the poor, which
brought him international accolades with the then World Bank chief Robert
McNamara describing him as the 'Rockfeller of India.' Despite belonging to the upper class Rajput community, he managed to carve a
niche for himself among all sections of the society. n 1952, despite opposition from the Rajput
community, he openly spoke against the zamindari system. His stand against
'sati' following the infamous Roop Kanwar case too angered the Rajput community.
Early life
Bhairon Singh Shekhawa was born in the village of Khachariawas, in the district of
Sikar in Rajasthan. His father's name was Shri Devi Singh Shekhawat and his mother was Shrimati
Banne Kanwar. He is married to Shrimati Suraj Kanwar and they have a
daughter Shrimati Ratan Kanwar who is married to Shri Narpat Singh Rajvi, senior
BJP leader of Rajasthan and a former cabinet minister in the Govt. of
Rajashan. They have three children Mumal Rajvi-daughter and Vickramaditya Singh Rajvi, Abhimanyu Singh Rajvi-sons.
Bhairon Singh Shekhawat completed high school but was unable to complete college
due to his father's death. He had to support his family. He worked as a farmer
and an officer sub-inspector of police. His website lists his favorite pastimes
as reading, interacting with people, and extensively touring the State and other
parts of the nation.He died on 15th May 2010(aged 87) at Jaipur due to breathing problem.
Political Life
Bhairon Singh Shekhawat joined politics in 1952. In the year 1967 elections,
his party the Bharatiya Jan Sangh and the Swatantra Party alliance
reached near majority but couldn't form a government. But in the Janata wave in
the year 1977, Shekhawat won with a thunderous landlside victory bagging 151 of
200 seats. After the split in the year 1980, Shekhawat joined
the Bhartiya Janata Party During the Indira wave in 1984, again BJP lost the election
heavily. But he did make history later on, in the 1989 elections when the
BJP-Janata Dal alliance won all the 25 seats in the Lok Sabha from Rajasthan and won 140 seats in the assembly polls
and Shekhawat once again became Chief Minister of Rajasthan. In the next
elections, after the split in the alliance, Shekhawat led the BJP to be the
single largest party with 99 seats. Due to the support of independents, Shekhawat was able to form
the government. In the next elections, in the year 1998, the Shekhawat
government lost due to the onion price rise issue. But the BJP bounced back in
the Lok Sabha elections in the year 1999, just one year after the assembly
polls. BJP won 16 of the 25 Lok Sabha seats from Rajasthan. Shekhawat was
elected as the Vice President of India in the year 2002, when he defeated the
opposition candidate, Sushil Kumar Shinde by a margin of 149 votes out of the 750 votes polled.
In July 2007, Shekhawat fought the Presidential election as an independent
candidate backed by National Democratic Alliance as a popular Presidential
candidate next to Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam; but lost to United Progressive
Alliance-Left backed candidate Pratibha Patil. Following his defeat, Shekhawat
resigned from the post of Vice-President on 21 July 2007.
Bhairon Singh Shekhawat held the positions
1952-72 Member, Rajasthan Legislative Assembly
1974-77 Member, Rajya Sabha (Madhya Pradesh)
1977-2002 Member, Rajasthan Legislative Assembly
22 June 1977 - 16 February 1980 Chief Minister of Rajasthan
1980-90 Leader of the Opposition, Rajasthan Legislative Assembly
4 March 1990 - 15 December 1992 Chief Minister of Rajasthan (second term)
4 December 1993 - 29 November 1998 Chief Minister of Rajasthan (third term)
December 1998 - August 2002 Leader of the Opposition, Rajasthan Legislative Assembly
19 August 2002 - 21 July 2007 Vice-President of India and ex officio Chairman of Rajya Sabha
Glowing tributes were paid to Bhairon Singh
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh declaring the former Vice President as one of the
“tallest” leaders “It is a tribute to Shekhawat’s leadership qualities that he overcame the
disadvantages of his early life to carve out a sterling career in public
service,” said the Prime Minister, adding that the late leader was one of the tallest leaders that Rajasthan has produced.
Describing Mr. Shekhawat as “Ajatshatru” and a mass leader attached to
grassroots, Mr. Vajpayee said, “I cannot bear his loss. His death is the end of an era in Indian politics.
Mr. Shekhawat’s journey from a police personnel to Vice President of India was
reflective of his hard work and determination, he said, adding that the late
leader was one of the “founding pillars” of the erstwhile Jansangh as later the BJP.
Echoing similar sentiments, President Pratibha Patil who contested against Mr.
Shekhawat in the 2007 Presidential polls, said, “Shekhawat was a personality who
deeply understood the concerns and aspirations of the poorest of the poor.”
In her condolence message to Suraj Kanwar, wife of the late leader, Ms. Patil
said Mr. Shekhawat’s understanding of the desires of the common man was a result
of his experiences early in his life when he had to give up his education to support his family following his father’s death.
Vice President Hamid Ansari said “He earned the respect and admiration of the people for his dedication, sense of
public service and innate simplicity. His services to the country shall always be remembered.” .
BJP Parliamentary Party Chairman L.K. Advani recalled how Mr. Shekhawat stood by
the then Bharatiya Jan Sangh in supporting a Rajasthan government legislation
for abolishing “jagirdari” system. Mr. Shekhawat ensured that the Antodaya scheme meant to reach the benefits of
development to the last man in the queue was implemented in the right earnest,
Mr. Advani said adding, “It is a great loss for BJP and the nation.”
Tamil Nadu Governor S.S. Barnala said Mr. Shekhawat was known for his
simplicity. He had dedicated himself to the cause of the poor and downtrodden.
Maharashtra Governor K. Sankaranarayanan said Mr. Shekhawat was a pragmatic
leader with enviable popularity. Madhya Pradesh Governor Rameshwar Thakur said Mr. Shekhawat was among those who
have always helped the poor and contributed immensely towards the development of
agriculture and farmers’ welfare. Uttarakhand Governor Margaret Alva, her Gujarat counterpart Kamla, Jharkhand
Governor M.OH. Farooq and Lt Governor of Puducherry Iqbal Singh also condoled his death.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said he was always connected
with rural India, while Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi said Shekhawat had proved himself to be an able administrator.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, who had earlier visited the SMS hospital
to meet the ailing leader, said Mr. Shekhawat was one of the rare politicians
who had a unique identity. Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.
Karunanidhi, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal, AIADMK supremo
J. Jayalalithaa, JD(U) President Sharad Yadav, Union Ministers C.P. Joshi and
Ghulam Nabi Azad, TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu and expelled BJP leader Jaswant Singh also condoled his death.
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