National Farmers Day (Kisan Divas) in India Date in the current year: December 23, 2024

Charan Singh was born on December 23, 1902 in a peasant family. One of his ancestors was Raja Naha Singh, a prominent leader of the Indian Rebellion of 1857. After finishing school, Charan Singh obtained a law degree from Agra University and began practicing law in Ghaziabad.

In 1937, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of the United Provinces as a representative from Chhaprauli. And so his political career began. Charan Singh supported Mahatma Gandhi’s non-violent independence struggle and was imprisoned several times for participating in peaceful protests against the colonial authorities.

Following the declaration of India’s independence, Charan Singh’s political career experienced a decline because he opposed the then-Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru on his economic reforms. Nehru wanted to develop Soviet-style cooperative farms, while Charan Singh, being a farmer’s son, felt that farmers needed to retain the right of ownership.

In 1967, Charan Singh left the Indian National Congress to form his own political party, Bharatiya Kranti Dal. From April 1967 to February 1968, and then again from February to October 1970, he served as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. In 1975, Indira Gandhi declared state of emergency, and Charan Singh was imprisoned as one of her political opponents.

After the end of the Emergency and the opposition’s win in the 1977 general elections, Charan Singh returned to politics and was appointed Minister of Home Affairs. He resigned in June 1978 due to his differences with Prime Minister Morarji Desai, but was reinducted as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance several months later.

Following a split in the ruling party and the ensuing government crisis, Charan Singh was appointed prime minister on July 28, 1979. However, after only five months, he lost Congressional support and had to resign in January 1980. Five years later, Singh suffered a stroke and never completely recovered from it. He died on May 29, 1987.

Chaudhary Charan Singh was well-respected in his home state of Uttar Pradesh because he cared for the people, especially farmers. Due to his contributions to the development of Indian agriculture, his birthday is celebrated as National Farmers Day.