Jan 02,2021:Congress veteran and former Union Home Minister Buta Singh passed away at the age of 86 on Saturday morning.
The senior Congress leader was in a coma since October last year when he was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) after he suffered a brain hemorrhage, news agency Press Trust of India (PTI) reported.
His family said Singh died around 5.30 am.
Expressing grieve over Buta Singh’s demise, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, “Shri Buta Singh Ji was an experienced administrator and effective voice for the welfare of the poor as well as downtrodden. Saddened by his passing away. My condolences to his family and supporters.
Born on March 21, 1934, Singh served as the Union Home Minister in the Rajiv Gandhi cabinet. The veteran politician, who also served the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, had fought his first elections as an Shiromani Akali Dal member before joining the Congress in 1960.
Singh fought his first elections as an Akali Dal member and joined the Indian National Congress in the 1960s. He was first elected to the third Lok Sabha in 1962 from the Sadhna constituency in Rajasthan.
He subsequently held many positions including those of the Union home minister and Union agriculture minister.
Known for his closeness with former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, Singh was first elected to Lok Sabha in 1962. In 1978, Singh became the General Secretary of the All India Congress Committee (AICC).
He also played a crucial role during the Khalistani movement in the 1970s and 80s. Singh was closely involved in the Operation Blue Star and oversaw the reconstruction of the Golden Temple after it.
He was the chairperson of the National Commission For Scheduled Caste from 2007 to 2010. He also authored a collection of articles on Punjabi literature and Sikh history and wrote a book Punjabi Speaking State: A Critical Analysis.
