On October 31, 1984, Rajiv Gandhi wrote to president Gaini Jail Singh that after he is sworn in as the prime minister, the four cabinet ministers be administered oath of secrecy. These were Pranab Mukherjee, P.V. Narasimha Road, P. Shiv Shankar and Buta Singh. Gandhi had included Buta Singh, a Sikh, in the cabinet the same day his mother Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh body guards, as the latter were miffed over Operation Blue Star.
Buta Singh was a trusted lieutenant of both Indira, and Rajiv, as they witnessed some of the turbulent events of Indian history. After a prolonged illness, Buta Singh, the veteran Congressman passed away in Delhi. He was 86.
Buta Singh, born in Mazbhi Sikh family in Jalandhar, was elected to Lok Sabha eight times, and even served as Governor of Bihar. Singh has a key role to play in the two key events whose reverberations are still felt three decades later. First as a minister in Indira Gandhi cabinet, Buta Singh was one of the key interlocutors from the government side to solve the Punjab problem. After the Golden Temple suffered huge damage in Operation Blue Star, it fell upon Buta Singh to get it restored with the help of Sikh clergy. Though the Akal Takht was restored to its architectural glory, it could not heal the deep wounds on Sikh psyche left by the army operation.
Singh once again was in reckoning, when he as home minister in former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi cabinet, was instrumental in allowing shilanyas of Ram Temple in November 1989, an event which set in motion a turbulent movement, and finally 30 years later the temple is taking shape. He engaged with the VHP leadership which included Ashok Singhal on allowing the foundation stone laying on the undisputed site. The Congress government thought adopting a soft Hindutva line would get them the majority votes during the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
As a home minister, Buta Singh wielded a lot of power in taking opposition state governments to task, and toppling those who did not fall in line.
Buta Singh knew the political landscape of the country. He started off as a sub editor with a Akali Patrika, a punjabi newspaper devoted to Akali politics, to joining Akali Dal. He shifted to Congress in 1960s. He was elected to the third Lok Sabha in 1962 from Moga, and became the Sikh face in the party for several decades to come. He became a minister in the Indira Gandhi cabinet in 1974. He became the Union minister of state, shipping and transport and was also given the portfolio of sports (independent charge) in 1982 when Asian Games were held. He was the chairman of the organising committee.
The successful conduct of the Games put India on the world sporting map, and earned the Congress government accolades. A year later, Indira elevated him as the cabinet minister for parliamentary affairs, sports and works and housing. After Indira's death, when he joined Rajiv cabinet in 1984, he was made the Union minister for agriculture and rural development and was Union home minister in 1986 for three years.
Buta Singh again made to the union cabinet under Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao, Singh was the Union minister of civil supplies, consumer affairs and public distribution from 1995 to 1996. However, when Manmohan Singh became Prime Minister, Buta Singh was chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) by in 2007. Earlier, he resigned as Bihar governor after the Supreme Court criticised his move to sack the state government.
He is survived by two sons and a daughter. His son was earlier a Congress MLA from Delhi.
