The Backstory: When 'Tau' Devi Lal won the PM race, and then gave it away
This article recounts the 1989 political maneuver where Chaudhary Devi Lal was elected leader of the Janata Dal but immediately deferred the Prime Minister position to VP Singh. It highlights the internal power dynamics and the influence of rural political leaders during India's transition of power.
Why it matters
It provides historical context on the formation of India's seventh government and the complex coalition politics that defined the era.
NEW DELHI: On December 1, 1989, the newly elected Janata Dal parliamentary party gathered in Parliament's Central Hall to decide who would lead the government that was about to replace Rajiv Gandhi's Congress. The leadership contest had already become a tug-of-war between VP Singh and Chandra Shekhar, with neither side willing to concede the top job.Then came an extraordinary political manoeuvre.VP Singh proposed Chaudhary Devi Lal's name. Chandra Shekhar seconded it. Devi Lal was declared elected as leader of the Janata Dal parliamentary party. And then the 75-year-old Haryana veteran stood up and proposed VP Singh for the Prime Minister post.Within minutes, the man who had just been chosen to lead the government had handed the job to someone else.VP Singh was elected leader and would become India's seventh Prime Minister.
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