Chapter 44 : V.P. Singh and Chandra Shekhar Governments (1989–91)

V.P. Singh and Chandra Shekhar Governments (1989–91)

The V.P. Singh Years (December 1989-November 1990)

• Government Formation: The National Front staked the claim to form the government, supported from the outside by the BJP and the Left parties.
• Vishwanath Pratap Singh was sworn in as Prime Minister on December 2, 1989.
• Rajiv Gandhi, heading the Congress party, became the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.
• March 1990: Following state legislative elections, the governing coalition at the Centre achieved control of both Houses of Parliament.
• First Major Decision: V.P. Singh decided to recall the IPKF from Sri Lanka.

Kashmir Situation Worsens

• December 1989 Kidnapping: Militants of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) kidnapped the daughter of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed (the Union home minister).
• Outcome: The Centre capitulated to the JKLF demands and released jailed militants.
• Rise of New Militancy: The JKLF was soon sidelined by another prominent militant group, the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, led by Syed Salauddin.
• Ideology: Held more hardcore ideas of turning the state into an Islamic regime.
• Government Response: The Centre sent in forces to control the situation and appointed Jagmohan as the new governor.
• Communalisation of the Conflict: A series of incidents led many Kashmiris to support the militants. Religion became an important factor, with 'Jihad' becoming a prominent cry.
• Targeting of Minorities: The Kashmiri Pandits (the Hindu minority who formed an integral part of the Valley and shared a common culture with the Muslims in that state in almost every aspect except religion) suffered brutal violence and killings by militants.
• Exodus: This triggered an exodus of Pandits from the Kashmir valley to Jammu and farther afield, turning them into refugees in their own land.

Implementation of the Mandal Commission Report

• Background: The Mandal Commission was appointed during the Janata Party rule and submitted its report in December 1980. It was quietly shelved by the Congress governments under Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi.
• Findings: The Commission stated that caste and backwardness were linked. It noted that the Other Backward Castes (OBCs) formed a significant proportion of the…