The mortal remains of former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh were consigned to flames with full state honours at the Narora Ghat in Bulandshahr. Thousands queued up to pay their last respects to the late leader and cries of ‘Jai Shree Ram’ and ‘Babu ji Amar Rahen’ filled the air.
Singh was cremated in Dibaiwhich he considered as his ‘karambhoomi’ because he was elected to the Lok Sabha from Bulandshahr once and twice to the state Assembly from Dibai constituency. Dubai is also the nearest Ganga ghat.
Kalyan Singh, who served as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Governor of Rajasthan, passed away on Saturday night due to sepsis and multi-organ failure. He was 89. Singh was admitted to the ICU of Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGI) on July 4 in a critical condition. On Saturday, his condition worsened due to a kidney infection. He breathed his last at 9.15 pm.
Kalyan Singh, one of the tallest leaders of the BJP in the Hindi heartland, was born on January 5, 1935, in Aligarh. He belonged to a family of farmers and was associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) since his early years. He grew up to become a teacher and then joined politics. He contested his first election in 1967 on a Jan Sangh ticket and reached the state Assembly. He won nine state elections and first became a minister in 1977. The 89-year-old leader was a doyen of the BJP who had played a key role in the Ayodhya movement.
The OBC face of the BJP, Singh was also the first BJP Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh (from June 1991 to December 1992). In his brief first tenure, he left his mark as an able administrator and an efficient leader who owned the entire responsibility of the Babri Masjid demolition, instead of putting the blame on the bureaucracy.
He commanded immense respect from his colleagues and even the thought of a replacement for him was considered nothing short of blasphemy in the BJP at that time. The moment he stood up in the state Assembly, opposition leaders sat down. His speeches were heard with rapt silence as disruptions were not the order of the day till then.
The Kalyan Singh government went down on the day the Babri Masjid was demolished, but Singh rose as the tallest Hindu leader when he emerged from the Tihar jail, flashing a victory sign, after serving a one-day sentence for failing to prevent the demolition. Apart from being a champion of Hindutva, Singh was also recognised as an unparalleled OBC leader.
