A loyalist of the Gandhi family, Singh was Vice President of the Congress under Rajiv Gandhi in the eighties and was also Governor of Punjab at the height of militancy and was instrumental in the Rajiv-Longowal accord.
Incidentally, Singh was on Friday dropped from the Congress party’s highest policy making body Congress Working Committee and was made a Permanent Invitee.
Singh leaves wife Saroj Kumari, two sons–Ajay Singh, an MLA in Madhya Pradesh and Abhimanyu–and daughter Veena.
Singh was Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh between 1980 and 1985 and was made Governor of Punjab just a day after he took oath as Chief Minister for the second time in the state.
He became Governor at the height of militancy and helped a young Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi reach an accord with Akali Dal leader Sant Harchand
Singh Longowal which came to be known Rajiv-Longowal peace accord. Later Rajiv made him vice president of the congress party. He also contested Lok Sabha election from Delhi
He also worked with P V Narasimha Rao in the nineties. He was Commerce and Communication Minister and HRD Minister in his cabinet.
Secular to the core Singh parted away from Rao in the aftermath of the Babri Masjid demolition. Though he did not resign from his government immediately, but after some time he along with N D Tiwari formed a Congress in 1994.
Singh rejoined Congress after Rao quit as party President and later spearheaded the campaign for the ouster of DMK ministers in the United Front government in 1997 over the Jain Commission report. The UF government under I K Gujral fell in the face of the campaign.
Singh was a close adviser to Sonia Gandhi when she decided to enter politics and became Congress President in 1998.
As HRD minister in the first UPA government from 2004, Singh was instrumental in championing the cause of backward classes and piloted bills for ensuring reservation for them in institutions of excellence.
However hi over activism in the government did not get support of party high command and in the UPA-11 he was not taken into the ministry. It was first time that a congress loyalist was shunted out in such a manner.
But he continued to be loyal to the Gandhi family till his last breath. He made a rare appearance in the Rajya Sabha last year to apportion blame on the late Narasimha Rao to say that Union Carbide chief Warren Anderson was allowed to go out of the country under the instructions from the home ministry then headed by Rao.
Born in Churhat in Sidhi district of Madhya Pradesh in November 1930, Singh studied law and entered politics to become a member of the state assembly in 1957 where he continued till 1985.
President Pratibha Patil condoled the death of veteran Congress leader Arjun Singh and said in his demise the country has lost a “towering personality”.
In her condolence message, Patil said Singh was a veteran public personality and the important responsibilities given to him during his long career showed the acumen and ability he possessed.
“He was therefore the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh for three times and also the Governor of Punjab during a period when the state was going through difficult times,” she said.
Vice President Hamid Ansari in his message said that Arjun Singh would always be remembered for the distinguished services that he had rendered to the nation in different capacities and the meaningful changes that he brought about in public policy and governance in the various offices that he had held with dignity and distinction.
The Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh in a condolence message described Arjun Singh as veteran congressman. “In his passing away the country has lost a veteran leader who left a strong imprint on our political life” Pm said in a statement.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi expressed grief over the death of Singh.