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Jaswant Singh

About Jaswant Singh

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Who is Jaswant Singh

As a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Jaswant Singh served in several central ministries for the first National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government. He was the Union finance minister for the last two years in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led government (from 2002 to 2004). During his tenure as the finance minister, Singh introduced the state Value Added Tax (VAT), which helped states generate more revenue. Jaswant Singh also slashed the custom duties. 
 
Having previously served in the Indian Army, Singh joined active politics later in life and was among the founding members of the BJP. He was a member of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha at different times for several terms. He was elected to Rajya Sabha five times and Lok Sabha four times. 
As the Union external affairs minister in the Vajpayee government, Singh was the points person for negotiations during the infamous Kandahar hijacking case, when terrorists held fliers on board Indian Airlines’ IC-814 flight hostage on December 24, 1999, and demanded the release of several terrorists jailed in India. It was through Singh’s negotiations that the hijackers curtailed their demands and India had to release only three terrorists — Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, and Mulana Masood Azhar. 
 
Singh was also instrumental in mending ties with the United States of America after the latter imposed sanctions on India following the nuclear tests of 1998. He also dealt with Pakistan with a strong hand after the 1999 Kargil war. 
 
In 2012, he was BJP's nominee for Vice-President's post. Singh got the support of AIADMK but lost to the United Progressive Alliance's candidate Hamid Ansari. 
 
Among the controversies he courted, Jaswant Singh was criticised for praising Pakistan’s founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah in his book Jinnah: India, Partition, Independence. Later, he was also expelled from the party. 
 
In 2010, the BJP took Singh back in the party but refused to give him a ticket in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. When the party fielded Col Sonaram Choudhary from his home constituency of Barmer, Singh quit the BJP again and fought contested the election independently. Singh, however, lost the election and suffered head injuries later that year. He passed away in September 2020.

Latest Updates on Jaswant Singh

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Reducing govt spending holds the key to fixing India's inflation worries

If the finance ministry wants private investment to revive, it must make things easy for it and resist the temptation to go on spending just because it can

Updated On: 27 Sep 2022 | 10:42 AM IST
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Privation, limelight, exile: Jaswant Singh's political life saw all three

A true democrat and nationalist, the former army officer, founding member of the Bharatiya Janata Party, remained fiercely independent and intrepid in expressing his views

Updated On: 28 Sep 2020 | 1:20 AM IST

Congress fields Gehlot's son from Jodhpur, Jaswant Singh's son from Barmer

The party's latest list has 19 candidate for Rajasthan and six each for Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat

Updated On: 01 Jul 2019 | 5:16 PM IST

Finding Jaswant Singh: What remains of BJP veteran's legacy in Rajasthan

A travel across the BJP veteran's native Barmer district to capture his legacy and gauge the mood of the people as Rajasthan gears up for polls

Updated On: 01 Jul 2019 | 5:17 PM IST

Jaswant's son banks on Rajput 'anger' to beat CM Raje in battle royale

The Singh family holds Vasundhara Raje responsible for denying Jaswant a ticket in 2014 and by defeating the CM, it is hoping to 'avenge the insult and humiliation' of the Rajputs by the BJP

Updated On: 01 Jul 2019 | 5:17 PM IST

Congress pits BJP veteran Jaswant Singh's son against Vasundhara Raje

The opposition party had declared 152 candidates in the first list on Thursday night.

Updated On: 01 Jul 2019 | 5:17 PM IST

Ahead of Rajasthan Assembly polls, Jaswant Singh's son Manvendra joins Cong

Announcing Singh's induction into the Congress on the social media, Gandhi said it had bolstered the party's strength

Updated On: 01 Jul 2019 | 5:17 PM IST

Rajasthan Assembly polls: Jaswant Singh's son Manvendra to join Congress

Manvendra Singh won as a BJP candidate from the Sheo assembly constituency of Barmer district in 2013 assembly polls

Updated On: 01 Jul 2019 | 5:17 PM IST
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For Jaswant Singh's son Manvendra, battle for Barmer goes beyond politics

In 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Jaswant contested as an Independent from Barmer and lost to BJP candidate Sonaram Chaudhary.

Updated On: 01 Jul 2019 | 5:17 PM IST

Jaswant Singh's son Manvendra quits BJP, says 'Kamal ka phool, badi bhool'

Singh said he was yet to take a decision on whether to join the Congress or not

Updated On: 01 Jul 2019 | 5:18 PM IST