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	Controversy hovered around him again when on 17 August 2009 another book authored by him, entitled '']'', was released. In this he claimed that the centralised polity of ] was responsible for Partition.<ref>{{cite news\|url=http://jaibihar.com/nehru-patel-conceded-pakistan-to-jinnah-jaswant/11301/\|title=Nehru not Jinnah’s polity led to partition\|publisher=]\|accessdate=2009-08-19}} {{Dead link\|date=September 2010\|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> He was later expelled from the primary membership of BJP as a result of the ensuing controversy.<ref>{{cite news\|url=http://jaibihar.com/jaswant-singh-expelled-over-jinnah-remarks/11454/\|title=Jaswant Singh expelled over Jinnah remarks\|date=2009-08-19\|publisher=]\|accessdate=2009-08-19}} {{Dead link\|date=September 2010\|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> In interviews with media he quoted BJP as narrow-minded and to have limited thought.<ref>{{cite news\|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KXg0qOPUfk \|title=Walk The Talk with Jaswant Singh\|accessdate=2009-08-23}}</ref> His book was later banned in ].<ref>{{cite news\|url=http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/book-ban-timing-calculated-says-congress/504755/\|title=Book ban: timing calculated, says Congress\|date=2009-08-21\|publisher=]\|accessdate=2009-08-21}}</ref> Singh said of the ban "The day we start banning books, we are banning thinking".<ref></ref> In 2010, he was readmitted to BJP.<ref>{{cite web \|url=http://english.samaylive.com/nation/676466702.html \|title=Jaswant returns to BJP}}</ref>		Controversy hovered around him again when on 17 August 2009 another book authored by him, entitled '']'', was released. In this he claimed that the centralised polity of ] was responsible for Partition.<ref>{{cite news\|url=http://jaibihar.com/nehru-patel-conceded-pakistan-to-jinnah-jaswant/11301/\|title=Nehru not Jinnah’s polity led to partition\|publisher=]\|accessdate=2009-08-19}} {{Dead link\|date=September 2010\|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> He was later expelled from the primary membership of BJP as a result of the ensuing controversy.<ref>{{cite news\|url=http://jaibihar.com/jaswant-singh-expelled-over-jinnah-remarks/11454/\|title=Jaswant Singh expelled over Jinnah remarks\|date=2009-08-19\|publisher=]\|accessdate=2009-08-19}} {{Dead link\|date=September 2010\|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> In interviews with media he quoted BJP as narrow-minded and to have limited thought.<ref>{{cite news\|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KXg0qOPUfk \|title=Walk The Talk with Jaswant Singh\|accessdate=2009-08-23}}</ref> His book was later banned in ].<ref>{{cite news\|url=http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/book-ban-timing-calculated-says-congress/504755/\|title=Book ban: timing calculated, says Congress\|date=2009-08-21\|publisher=]\|accessdate=2009-08-21}}</ref> Singh said of the ban "The day we start banning books, we are banning thinking".<ref></ref> In 2010, he was readmitted to BJP.<ref>{{cite web \|url=http://english.samaylive.com/nation/676466702.html \|title=Jaswant returns to BJP}}</ref>

	Jaswant Singh is a Member of the Global Leadership Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation that offers, discreetly and confidentially, a range of experienced advisors to political leaders facing difficult situations. As of ~~July~~ 16, ~~2012~~ he ~~has~~ ~~been~~ ~~announced~~ as ~~the~~ ~~candidate~~ ~~for~~ the ~~vice~~ ~~presidency~~ by the ~~NDA.{{Citation~~ ~~needed\|date=March~~ ~~2012}}~~		Jaswant Singh is a Member of the , a not-for-profit organisation that offers, discreetly and confidentially, a range of experienced advisors to political leaders facing difficult situations. It is composed of former heads of government, senior governmental and international organization officials who work closely with Heads of Government on governance-related issues of concern to them. The Foundation supports democratic leadership and works to prevent and resolve conflict through mediation and promote good governance in the form of democratic institutions, open markets, human rights and the rule of law.

			As of July 16, 2012 he has been announced as the candidate for the vice presidency by the NDA.{{Citation needed\|date=March 2012}}

	==Positions held==		==Positions held==

Revision as of 12:51, 22 January 2013

For the Indian field hockey player, see Jaswant Singh (field hockey). For the Indian Army commander, see Joginder Jaswant Singh. For the Indian author, see Jaswant Singh Marwah.

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Jaswant Singh


Minister of Finance of India
In office 2002–2004
Prime Minister	Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Preceded by	Yashwant Sinha
Succeeded by	P Chidambaram
Minister of Defence of India
In office 2000–2001
Prime Minister	Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Preceded by	George Fernandes
Succeeded by	George Fernandes
Minister of External Affairs
In office 1998–2002
Prime Minister	Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Preceded by	Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Succeeded by	Yashwant Sinha
Finance Minister of India
In office 1996–1996
Prime Minister	Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Preceded by	Manmohan Singh
Succeeded by	P Chidambaram

Personal details
Born	(1938-01-03) January 3, 1938 (age 86) Rajputana, British India
Political party	Bharatiya Janata Party
Alma mater	Mayo College Indian Military Academy
Website	http://www.jaswantsingh.com

Jaswant Singh (born January 3, 1938) is an Indian politician. He belongs to the Bharatiya Janata Party and has held many portfolios in the national cabinet including Finance, External Affairs and Defence during the NDA regime (1998 to 2004). He was also the Leader of Opposition from 2004 to 2009 in the Rajya Sabha and the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission of India(1998–99). Known for his moderate political views, he is a self-described liberal democrat even though the Bharatiya Janata Party is often described as a right-wing nationalist organization. Currently he represents Darjeeling parliamentary constituency in the 15th Lok Sabha.

Early life

Singh was born on January 3, 1938 at village Jasol (Barmer District) in Rajasthan (India). His father was Late Mr Thakur Sardara Singh and mother was Late Mrs Kunwar Baisa. Singh is married to Mrs Sheetal Kumari. They have two sons. He was an officer in the Indian Army in the 1960s and is an alumnus of Mayo College and the National Defence Academy (India), Khadakwasla.

Political life

Though Singh entered politics in the late 60s, the first few years of his political life lacked success and recognition, till he was initiated in the Jan Sangh, by BJP stalwart Bhairon Singh Shekhawat who is considered to be Jaswant's political mentor. He tasted success in his political career in 1980 when he was first selected for the Rajyasabha, the upper house of Indian parliament. He served as Finance minister in the short-lived government of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, which lasted just from May 16, 1996, to June 1, 1996. After Vajpayee became Prime Minister again two years later, he became Minister for External Affairs of India, serving from December 5, 1998 until July 1, 2002. Responsible for foreign policy, he dealt with high tensions between India and Pakistan. In July 2002 he became Finance Minister again, switching posts with Yashwant Sinha. He served as Finance Minister until the defeat of the Vajpayee government in May 2004 and was instrumental in defining and pushing through the market-friendly reforms of the government. He was conferred the Outstanding Parliamentarian Award for the year 2001. On 19 August 2009, he was expelled from BJP after criticism over his remarks in his book which allegedly praised the founder of Pakistan in his book Jinnah - India, Partition, Independence. His last major position was as Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha from 2004 to 2009.

Vice President Nominee

He was the candidate for the Vice president post by the NDA for the year 2012 which he lost . He contested against Hamid Ansari who was the UPA's Vice presidential candidate. On 6 August 2012, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa extended AIADMK’s support to NDA's vice-presidential nominee Jaswant Singh saying that there has to be an opposition in a true democracy.

Career

File:Jaswant singh rumsfeld.jpg

Jaswant Singh (left) with Donald Rumsfeld

In the government of Vajpayee, Singh was External Affairs Minister. Later he became Minister of Finance with Yashwant Sinha. He was also the Defence Minister when George Fernandes was forced to resign after the Tehelka exposure.

Singh is widely regarded for his handling of relations with the United States which were strained after the 1998 Indian nuclear tests but which ameliorated soon after culminating in the visit of U.S. President Bill Clinton to India. His skill as a negotiator and diplomat during talks with the United States has been well acknowledged by his U.S. counterpart Strobe Talbott.

Singh has been frequently criticized by political parties for escorting terrorists to Kandhar, Afghanistan. They were released by the Government of India in exchange for passengers from a hijacked Indian Airlines plane.

Controversy

A controversy erupted immediately after the release of his book, in which Singh insinuated that a mole had existed in the Prime Ministerial Office during the tenure of P. V. Narasimha Rao, who had leaked information to U.S. sources. Soon after, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh challenged him to name the mole. In response, Singh sent a letter to him. The letter, Manmohan Singh said later, had no signature, and no name of any mole. Jaswant Singh then backed off, saying his views on the subject were based on a "hunch".

Controversy hovered around him again when on 17 August 2009 another book authored by him, entitled Jinnah: India-Partition-Independence, was released. In this he claimed that the centralised polity of Jawaharlal Nehru was responsible for Partition. He was later expelled from the primary membership of BJP as a result of the ensuing controversy. In interviews with media he quoted BJP as narrow-minded and to have limited thought. His book was later banned in Gujarat. Singh said of the ban "The day we start banning books, we are banning thinking". In 2010, he was readmitted to BJP.

Jaswant Singh is a Member of the Global Leadership Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation that offers, discreetly and confidentially, a range of experienced advisors to political leaders facing difficult situations. It is composed of former heads of government, senior governmental and international organization officials who work closely with Heads of Government on governance-related issues of concern to them. The Foundation supports democratic leadership and works to prevent and resolve conflict through mediation and promote good governance in the form of democratic institutions, open markets, human rights and the rule of law.

As of July 16, 2012 he has been announced as the candidate for the vice presidency by the NDA.

Positions held

1980 Elected to Rajya Sabha
1986 Re-elected to Rajya Sabha (2nd term)
1986-1989 – Member, Public Accounts Committee, Rajya Sabha
Member, Committee on Privileges, Rajya Sabha
Member, Committee on Public Undertakings, Rajya Sabha
1987 Member, Consultative Committee constituted under the Punjab State
1989-1991 Legislature (Delegation of Powers) Act, 1987
1990 Elected to 9th Lok Sabha
1991-1996 Chairman, Estimate Committee
1991 Re-elected to 10th Lok Sabha (2nd term)
1991 Chairman, Committee on Environment and Forests
1992 Member, Joint Parliamentary Committee to enquire into Irregularities in Securities and Banking Transactions
1993 – Chairman, Committee on Energy
1996-97 – Re-elected to 11th Lok Sabha (3rd term)
May 1996 – Union Cabinet Minister, Finance
25 March 1998 – 4 Feb. – Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission
July 1998 – Re-elected to Rajya Sabha (3rd term)
Dec. 1998-1 Jul. 2000 Union Cabinet Minister, External Affairs
Feb-Oct. 1999 Union Cabinet Minister, Electronics (Simultaneous charge)
6 Aug.-13 Oct. 1999 Union Cabinet Minister, Surface Transport (Simultaneous charge)
15 Oct. 1999 Re-elected to Rajya Sabha (4th term)
18 March-15 Oct. 2001 Union Cabinet Minister, Defence (Simultaneous charges)
1 Jul. 2002-9 Apr. 2 Minister of Finance & Company Affairs, Govt. of India
10 April 2002-21 May Union Cabinet Minister, Finance
2004 Re-elected to Rajya Sabha (5th term)
2004 Leader of Opposition, Rajya Sabha
August 2004 – August 2006 – Member, Committee on Science and Technology, Environment and Forests
August 2004 – May 2009 – Member, Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Installation of Portraits/Statues of National Leaders and Parliamentarians in Parliament House Complex
August 2005 – Member, General Purposes Committee
2009 Re-elected to 15th Lok Sabha (4th term)
6 Aug. 2009 - 31 December – Chairman, Committee on Public Accounts
10 Sep. 2009 Member, Committee on Budget
1 Jan. 2010 Member, Committee on Public Accounts

Preceded byManmohan Singh	Minister of Finance of India 1996–1996	Succeeded byP. Chidambaram
Preceded byYashwant Sinha	Minister of Finance of India 2002–2004	Succeeded byP. Chidambaram
Preceded byAtal Bihari Vajpayee	Minister for External Affairs of India 1998–2002	Succeeded byYashwant Sinha
Preceded byGeorge Fernandes	Minister for Defence of India 2000–2001	Succeeded byGeorge Fernandes

References

Jaswant Singh Biography
"Jaswant Singh to challenge Hamid Ansari for Vice-President's post". 16July 2012. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
"Jayalalithaa extends support to Jaswant Singh". 6 August 2012.
"I am bewildered: Jaswant". Chennai: The Hindu. 2006-07-28. Retrieved 2006-07-29.
"I know no 'mole', Jaswant tells RSS". Yahoo.com. Retrieved 2006-07-31.
"Nehru not Jinnah's polity led to partition". Jai Bihar. Retrieved 2009-08-19.
"Jaswant Singh expelled over Jinnah remarks". Jai Bihar. 2009-08-19. Retrieved 2009-08-19.
"Walk The Talk with Jaswant Singh". Retrieved 2009-08-23.
"Book ban: timing calculated, says Congress". Indian Express. 2009-08-21. Retrieved 2009-08-21.
India state bans book on Jinnah
"Jaswant returns to BJP".

External links

v t e Finance ministers of India
R. K. Shanmukham Chetty John Mathai C. D. Deshmukh T. T. Krishnamachari Jawaharlal Nehru Morarji Desai Sachindra Chaudhuri Indira Gandhi Yashwantrao Chavan Chidambaram Subramaniam Hirubhai M. Patel Charan Singh Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna R. Venkataraman Pranab Mukherjee Vishwanath Pratap Singh Rajiv Gandhi N. D. Tiwari Shankarrao Chavan Madhu Dandavate Yashwant Sinha Manmohan Singh Jaswant Singh P. Chidambaram I. K. Gujral Arun Jaitley Piyush Goyal Nirmala Sitharaman (incumbent)

v t e Defence ministers of India
Baldev Singh N. Gopalaswami Ayyangar Jawaharlal Nehru Kailash Nath Katju V. K. Krishna Menon Yashwantrao Chavan Swaran Singh Jagjivan Ram Indira Gandhi Bansi Lal Chidambaram Subramaniam R. Venkataraman Shankarrao Chavan P. V. Narasimha Rao Rajiv Gandhi Vishwanath Pratap Singh K. C. Pant Chandra Shekhar Sharad Pawar Pramod Mahajan Mulayam Singh Yadav George Fernandes Jaswant Singh Pranab Mukherjee A. K. Antony Arun Jaitley Manohar Parrikar Nirmala Sitharaman Rajnath Singh (incumbent)

Ministry of External Affairs (India)

Divisions

Secretary (CPV & Overseas Indian Affairs)	Sanjay Bhattacharya (incumbent)
Secretary (Economic Relations)	Rahul Chhabra (incumbent)
Secretary (West)	Vikas Swarup (incumbent)
Secretary (East)	Riva Ganguly Das (incumbent)
Foreign Secretary	K. P. S. Menon Sr. R. K. Nehru Subimal Dutt M. J. Desai Y. D. Gundevia C. S. Jha Rajeshwar Dayal T. N. Kaul Kewal Singh J. S. Mehta R. D. Sathe M. K. Rasgotra Romesh Bhandari A. P. Venkateswaran K. P. S. Menon Jr. Shilendra Kumar Singh Muchukund Dubey J. N. Dixit Krishnan Srinivasan Salman Haidar K. Raghunath Lalit Mansingh Chokila Iyer Kanwal Sibal Shashank Shyam Saran Shivshankar Menon Nirupama Rao Ranjan Mathai Sujatha Singh Subrahmanyam Jaishankar Vijay Keshav Gokhale Harsh Vardhan Shringla (incumbent)

External affairs
ministers

Ministers of state
for external affairs

V. K. Singh
V. Muraleedharan (incumbent)