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PERSONALITY | Chandra Shekhar


        YOUNG TURK



        OF POLITICS





        There is a popular proverb in Uttar Pradesh’s eastern
        region. People here are thought to have a lot of iron
        in their blood. Chandra Shekhar was born on this land
        of Ballia. A leader who rose from student politics to
        become the prime minister of the nation. Due to his
        strong determination, courage and bravery, he was
        compared to the young Turk of politics, who never
        bowed down to anyone. Chandra Shekhar often used to
        say, ‘Imprison me or silence me, but you will never be
        able to shackle my questions.’ Despite his short tenure
        as Prime Minister, the country will always remember
        his thoughts and efforts towards nation building…




              handra Shekhar was born on 17 April 1927
              into a farming family in Ibrahimpatti village
        Cof  Ballia  district  in  Uttar  Pradesh.  He  was
        attracted to politics from an early age. He became
        known for his revolutionary zeal and fiery speech-
        es. This made him a progressive and a ‘Young Turk’
        leader of his time who fought against vested in-
        terests with determination, courage and honesty.
        Chandra Shekhar was among those members of
        the ruling party who were arrested and sent to
        jail during the Emergency. He always opposed the
        politics of power and valued the politics of com-         Born: 17 April 1927 | Died: 8 July 2007
        mitment to democratic values and social change.
           Chandra Shekhar’s morals and decency were         Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh,
        exceptional. It was evident in his conduct. For      Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, with the aim
        example,  he  consistently  addressed  Atal  Bihari   of training social and political activists so that they
        Vajpayee as ‘Guruji’ both privately and publicly.    can educate people and work at the grassroots
        Not  only  that,  but  he  used  to  say  in  the  House,   level in the backward areas of the country. He was
        ‘Guruji, please pardon me; I will criticise you a little.’   the Prime Minister of India from 10 November
        Chandra  Shekhar  was  an  MP  from  Ballia  eight   1990 to 21 June 1991 after the resignation of Prime
        times. Chandra Shekhar walked around 4,260 km        Minister VP Singh. He died on 8 July 2007. Remem-
        from Kanyakumari in the south to Rajghat in New      bering him on his birth anniversary, Prime Minister
        Delhi between January 6 and June 25, 1983. The       Narendra  Modi  said,  “Chandra  Shekhar  ji  was  a
        primary aim of his yatra was to meet people and      great personality, widely admired for his commit-
        learn about their major challenges.                  ment to democratic values and efforts to eradicate
           He  established  15  Bharat  Yatra  Kendras  in   poverty. He always worked for the welfare of the
        various parts of the country, including Kerala, Tamil   weaker sections and the deprived.” n



        10  NEW INDIA SAMACHAR || July 1-15, 2025
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