Zail Singh: Difference between revisions

{{Use Indian English|date=October 2020}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2022}}

| honorific_prefix    = [[Giani]]

| image              = President of India Giani Zail Singh (cropped).jpg

| caption            = Singh in 1984

| vicepresident      = {{ubl|[[Mohammad Hidayatullah]]|R. Venkataraman}}

| successor          = [[Ramaswamy Venkataraman|R. Venkataraman]]

| birth_place        = [[Sandhwan]], [[Punjab, British India]]

| death_place        = [[Chandigarh]], India

| alma_mater          = [[Shaheed Sikh Missionary College]]

| spouse              = [[Pardhan Kaur]]<ref name=nytimes>{{cite news|first=Sanjoy |last=Hazarika|title=Zail Singh, 78, First Sikh To Hold India's Presidency |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/12/26/obituaries/zail-singh-78-first-sikh-to-hold-india-s-presidency.html |work=[[New York Times]] |date=26 December 1994 |access-date=23 August 2015}}</ref>

| children            = 4<!-- 1 son, 3 daughters --><ref name=nytimes />

Born in [[Sandhwan]] in the [[princely state]] of [[Faridkot State|Faridkot]], Singh trained to be a [[granthi]] and was given the title of [[Gyani|giani]], meaning a learned man, while training at the Sikh Missionary School in [[Amritsar]]. Singh was associated with peasant agitations and the movement seeking a representative government in Faridkot. His political activism in the [[All India States Peoples' Conference|Praja Mandal]], an organization allied with the [[Indian National Congress]], saw him sentenced to [[solitary confinement]] between 1938 and 1943. He led the flag satyagraha and formed a [[Parallel state|parallel government]] in Faridkot State which were called off only after the intervention of [[Jawaharlal Nehru]] and [[Vallabhbhai Patel]]. The stints in jail inspired him to change his name to Zail Singh.

After [[Indian independence movement|independence]], Faridkot was merged with the [[Patiala and East Punjab States Union]] and Singh served as its minister of revenue and agriculture during 1949–51 and oversaw the introduction of [[land reform]]s in Punjab. Singh was a member of the [[Rajya Sabha]] during 1956–62 and member of the [[Punjab Legislative Assembly]] during 1962–67 during which time he served briefly as a minister under [[Partap Singh Kairon]]. He had served as president of PEPSU Pradesh Congress Committee during 1955–56 and became president of [[Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee]] in 1966 serving in that post until his election as [[List of chief ministers of Punjab (India)|Chief Minister of Punjab]] in 1972.

As Chief Minister, Singh is credited with having established India’s first semiconductor manufacturing unit in [[Mohali]], legislating the Punjab Land Reforms Act of 1972, ensuring reservation for [[Mazhabi Sikh]]s and [[Balmikism|Valmikis]] in education and public employment and repatriating the remains of [[Udham Singh]] which were then cremated in Punjab with state honours. Singh’s policies aimed to undercut the influence of the [[Shiromani Akali Dal]] party by championing Sikh religious causes. Following the defeat of the Congress Party in the elections of 1977, Singh and [[Sanjay Gandhi]] extended political and financial support to [[Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale|Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale]], a radical Sikh preacher. Bhindranwale soon became the flagbearer of Sikh separatism and an [[Insurgency in Punjab|insurgency]] seeking the establishment of [[Khalistan movement|Khalistan]] broke out in Punjab.

Elected to the [[Lok Sabha]] in 1980, Singh was appointed [[Minister of Home Affairs (India)|India’s Home Minister]] by Prime Minister [[Indira Gandhi]]. His stint saw insurgencies in Punjab and [[Assam separatist movements|Assam]]. In 1982, he was elected [[President of India]], succeeding [[Neelam Sanjiva Reddy]]. The initial years of his presidency saw the [[Operation Blue Star]], the [[assassination of Indira Gandhi]], and the [[1984 anti-Sikh riots]]. After [[Rajiv Gandhi]] became Prime Minister, relations with Singh turned frosty with the [[Prime Minister of India|Prime Minister]] refusing to meet with or inform the president on matters of policy and placing curbs on his foreign and domestic travels. Singh hit back by questioning government policy and subjecting proposals sent to him to minute scrutiny. In 1986, he employed a [[pocket veto]] on the Indian Post Office (Amendment) Bill passed by Parliament. [[Bofors scandal|Allegations of corruption]] in the procurement of [[howitzer]]s from Bofors, the government’s refusal to furnish the documents sought for by President Singh and his much-publicized reproach to the government led to speculation that Singh intended to dismiss the government of Rajiv Gandhi. Singh however retired at the end of his tenure in 1987 and was succeeded as president by [[Ramaswamy Venkataraman|R. Venkataraman]].

Singh died in 1994 of injuries sustained in a road accident. His [[Samadhi (shrine)|samadhi]] is at the [[Raj Ghat and associated memorials|Ekta Sthal]] in Delhi. Singh’s memoirs were published in 1997. His birth centenary was celebrated in 2016 where a documentary film and a book on his life were released.

He was born in [[Sandhwan]], [[Faridkot district]] on 5 May 1916 to Kishan Singh and Ind Kaur, as the youngest of their five children.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Singh |first1=Sardar Harjeet |title=Faith & Philosophy of Sikhism |date=2009 |publisher=Gyan Publishing House |isbn=978-81-7835-721-8 |page=75 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fleka3YEE8sC&dq=Ind+Kaur+and+Kishen+Singh+zail+singh&pg=PA75 |access-date=5 October 2022 |language=en}}</ref> He was a [[Ramgarhia]] Sikh, belonging to a [[Other Backward Class|backward caste]] associated with [[carpentry]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Shah |first1=Harmeet |title=Understanding the Dalit demography of Punjab, caste by caste |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/elections/punjab-assembly-polls-2022/story/understanding-dalit-demography-of-punjab-scheduled-caste-channi-ravidasias-ad-dharmis-valmikis-1914965-2022-02-18 |access-date=5 October 2022 |work=India Today |date=18 February 2022 |language=en}}</ref>  

Although his formal education ended with matriculation, Singh trained to be a [[granthi]] and studied at the Shaheed Sikh Missionary College in Amritsar where he was given the title of [[Gyani|giani]] as a mark of his knowledge of the scriptures. Although his grasp of English was less than fluent, he was known for his earthy speeches in the [[Urdu]] and [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]] languages.<ref>{{cite news |title=ZAIL SINGH DIES AFTER CRASH |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1994/12/26/zail-singh-dies-after-crash/6c59e7d6-1cb1-481a-a1bd-d3491380cb44/ |access-date=7 October 2022 |newspaper=Washington Post |date=26 December 1995}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Punjab's dalit conundrum: A look into Sikhs' caste identity {{!}} Chandigarh News - Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/punjabs-dalit-conundrum-a-look-into-sikhs-caste-identity/articleshow/86607310.cms |access-date=5 October 2022 |work=The Times of India |date=30 September 2021 |language=en}}</ref> He married Pardhan Kaur with whom he had three daughters and a son.<ref>{{cite news |title=Giani Zail Singh's widow dead |url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20020512/main4.htm |access-date=5 October 2022 |work=The Tribune |date=11 May 2002}}</ref> His nephew, [[Kultar Singh Sandhwan]], became [[Speaker (politics)|Speaker]] of the [[Punjab Legislative Assembly]] in 2022.<ref>{{cite news |title=Punjab Speaker Sandhwan, whose guards thrashed truck driver, a Kejriwal admirer and AAP's farm face |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/political-pulse/punjab-speaker-sandhwan-kejriwal-admirer-aap-farm-face-8088263/ |access-date=5 October 2022 |work=The Indian Express |date=13 August 2022 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Kultar Sandhwan: Of humble beginnings and strong political legacy |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/chandigarh-news/kultar-sandhwan-of-humble-beginnings-and-strong-political-legacy-101647719152970.html |access-date=5 October 2022 |work=Hindustan Times |date=20 March 2022 |language=en}}</ref>

In 1936, Singh was imprisoned for a year for his participation in the Kisan Morcha. {{clarification needed|date=November 2022}}<ref>{{cite book |title=LOK SABHA DEBATES (English Version) |date=1995 |publisher=Lok Sabha Secretariat |location=New Delhi |pages=9–10 |url=https://eparlib.nic.in/bitstream/123456789/3042/1/lsd_10_13_13-02-1995.pdf |access-date=29 September 2022}}</ref>

In 1938, Singh founded the Praja Mandal, a political organization allied to the [[All India States Peoples' Conference]], in Faridkot. The Mandal sought the establishment of an elected government in the [[princely state]] - a demand rejected by its ruler, Sir Harinder Singh Brar. Singh was jailed between 1938 and 1943, spending time in solitary confinement in a Faridkot prison. Upon his release in 1943, he was forced to leave Faridkot but took up the cause of the people's movement in Faridkot outside the state.<ref>{{cite news |title=Govt to preserve Zail jail cell |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/govt-to-preserve-zail-jail-cell/cid/689388 |access-date=29 September 2022 |work=www.telegraphindia.com |date=20 December 2004}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Faridkot jail cell where ex-President Giani Zail Singh spent five years in a shambles |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/chandigarh/faridkot-jail-cell-where-ex-president-giani-zail-singh-spent-five-years-in-a-shambles/story-PA6nwZwrmBBDKeDNwvzHgK.html |access-date=29 September 2022 |work=Hindustan Times |date=25 December 2018 |language=en}}</ref>  

It is during his time in prison that Singh changed his name from Jarnail Singh to Zail Singh.<ref>{{cite web |title=Zail Singh, President of India |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Zail-Singh |website=www.britannica.com |publisher=Encyclopaedia Britannica |access-date=29 September 2022 |language=en}}</ref> In 1946, he launched a [[satyagraha]] against the Faridkot government and was involved in the Flag agitation of that year for which he was imprisoned.<ref>{{cite book |title=LOK SABHA DEBATES (English Version) |date=1995 |publisher=Lok Sabha Secretariat |location=New Delhi |pages=9–10 |url=https://eparlib.nic.in/bitstream/123456789/3042/1/lsd_10_13_13-02-1995.pdf |access-date=29 September 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=SPECIAL POSTAGE STAMP ON GIANI ZAIL SINGH |url=https://archive.pib.gov.in/archive/ArchiveSecondPhase/COMMUNICATION/1998-JAN-DEC-COMMUNICATIONS-II/COM-1995-12-23_069.pdf |publisher=Press Information Bureau |access-date=29 September 2022}}</ref> The flag agitation ended with the Nehru-Harinder Pact by which the [[maharaja]] agreed to the formation of political associations in the state and revoked the ban on hoisting the Congress flag in Faridkot.{{efn| In April 1946, government authorities of the [[Faridkot State]] beat up satyagrahis who had hoisted the [[Flag of India|national flag]] there and arrested others from outside the state at the state's border and [[Torture|tortured]] them in jail. A [[hartal]] was launched in the state on 29 April 1946 which continued for several days. Extending his support to the Praja Mandal activists, [[Jawaharlal Nehru]] visited [[Faridkot, Punjab|Faridkot]] on 27 May 1946 and hoisted the Congress' flag in defiance of the [[curfew]] and restrictions imposed by the Maharaja of Faridkot. The same day, he met with the maharaja and they came to an agreement known as the Nehru-Harinder Pact. The maharaja agreed to lift restrictions on political activity in the state and to a public enquiry under the Chief Justice of Faridkot into the excesses committed against the satyagrahis besides agreeing to release the imprisoned Praja Mandal activists.<ref>{{cite book |title=Selected works of Jawaharlal Nehru : Volume Fifteen |date=1982 |publisher=Orient Longman |location=New Delhi |pages=184, 426–430 |url=https://archive.org/stream/HindSwaraj-Nehru-SW-15/nehru.sw.vol.15_djvu.txt |access-date=29 September 2022 |language=English}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=The Making of India |url=https://openthemagazine.com/lounge/books/the-making-of-india/ |access-date=29 September 2022 |work=Open The Magazine |date=14 February 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=27 मई 1946 को पंडित नेहरू ने फरीदकोट रियासत के विरूद्ध फहराया था तिरंगा |url=https://www.jagran.com/punjab/faridkot-in-1946-national-flag-on-faridkot-empire-20315630.html |access-date=29 September 2022 |work=Dainik Jagran |date=27 May 2020 |language=hi}}</ref>}} The maharaja's failure to fully implement the pact led to a renewed agitation in the state in 1948 when Praja Mandal activists besieged the state's secretariat and Zail Singh declared the formation of a [[Parallel state|parallel government]] in Faridkot. The agitation ended only after the intervention of [[Vallabhbhai Patel|Sardar Patel]] with the maharaja agreeing to free Singh and three other ministers of the parallel government from prison besides Praja Mandal activists arrested for their participation in the agitation.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ahluwalia |first1=M L |title=Punjab's Role in National Freedom Struggle (Special Reference to Parja Mandal Movement in Erstwhile Princely States) |url=https://docslib.org/doc/12135038/punjabs-role-in-national-freedom-struggle-special-reference-to-parja-mandal-movement-in-erstwhile-princely-states |website=Docslib |publisher=D of Arch—Govt. Press, U.T., Chandigarh. |access-date=29 September 2022 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Gyani Zail Singh: The Symbol of Nationalism |url=https://avenuemail.in/gyani-zail-singh-the-symbol-of-nationalism/ |access-date=29 September 2022 |work=The Avenue Mail |date=5 May 2022}}</ref> In 1948, the [[States Department|States Ministry of India]] merged Faridkot with the other [[Phulkian sardars|Phulkian states of Punjab]] to form the [[Patiala and East Punjab States Union]].<ref>{{cite news |title=How a Rs 20,000 crore dispute over the property of Faridkot's Maharaja drew to a close |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/faridkot-maharaja-property-dispute-8139120/ |access-date=29 September 2022 |work=The Indian Express |date=8 September 2022 |language=en}}</ref>

== Political career in independent India (1947–1972)==

In January 1949, Singh became minister for revenue in the government of PEPSU under Chief Minister [[Gian Singh Rarewala]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Chum |first1=B. K. |title=Behind Closed Doors: Politics of Punjab, Haryana and the Emergency |date=1 December 2013 |publisher=Hay House, Inc |isbn=978-93-81398-62-3 |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Behind_Closed_Doors/NXxABAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=rarewala+zail+singh&pg=PT171&printsec=frontcover |access-date=4 October 2022 |language=en}}</ref> The Rarewala ministry however was replaced with a caretaker government within ten months of its formation owing to political dissension. In 1951, [[Raghbir Singh (chief minister)|Col. Raghbir Singh]] became the Chief Minister and Zail Singh was appointed minister for agriculture. His actions as minister include the repeal of the Criminal Tribes Act, the promulgation of the Political Sufferers ordinance and changes introduced to land laws that abolished the right of the Raja of Faridkot to seize lands of the peasants and removing the privileges enjoyed by landlords under existing land laws. He piloted the Biswedar Abolition Ordinance that provided for the appropriation without compensation of land owned by the landlords and tenancy rights to the cultivators.{{efn|The movement for [[Land law|land rights]] in the Punjab began in the 1930s and was known as the ''muzara'' movement after the Punjabi term for [[Landlessness|landless farmers]] working as [[Tenant farmer|tenant farmers]]. The movement sought tenancy rights for the cultivators who worked on big and [[Absentee landlord|absentee landholdings]] owned by landlords known as ''biswedars''. The PEPSU Occupancy Tenants Act, 1953 abolished the ''biswedari'' system, giving ownership of [[Land to the tiller|land to the cultivators]] and provided for a one-time payment of compensation for the landlords. The ''muzara'' movement and the influx of displaced persons following the [[Partition of India|partition of Punjab]] triggered land reforms in [[East Punjab]] and PEPSU. Other provisions in these reforms include security of land tenure to the [[Leasehold estate|tenants-at-will]], establishment of land ceilings and the consolidation of landholdings. Zail Singh played a key role in both the farmers movement and in legislating land reform during his terms as minister in the PEPSU government and as Chief Minister of Punjab.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kamal |first1=Neel |title=Movement of '40s in focus in Mansa {{!}} Amritsar News - Times of India |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/81557811.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst |access-date=6 October 2022 |work=The Times of India |date=18 March 2021 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Remembering Pepsu Muzara movement: 'Govt should study our past, our history…we never gave in even during British rule' |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/remembering-pepsu-muzara-movement-govt-should-study-our-past-our-history-we-never-gave-in-even-during-british-rule-7239246/ |access-date=6 October 2022 |work=The Indian Express |date=22 March 2021 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Time to scrap land ceiling laws in Punjab? |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/chandigarh-news/time-to-scrap-land-ceiling-laws-in-punjab-101639393928216.html |access-date=6 October 2022 |work=Hindustan Times |date=13 December 2021 |language=en}}</ref>}}<ref>{{cite book |title=Personalities: A Comprehensive and Authentic Biographical Dictionary of Men who Matter in India [Northern India and Parliament] |date=1950 |publisher=Arunam & Sheel |location=New Delhi |pages= 1–26 |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Personalities/Y40MAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=rarewala+zail+singh&pg=RA5-PA1&printsec=frontcover |access-date=4 October 2022 |language=en}}</ref>

In the [[1952 Punjab Legislative Assembly election|elections of 1952]], Singh lost from the [[Kotkapura]] [[Jaitu|Jaito]] constituency.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Jai |first1=Janak Raj |title=Presidents of India, 1950-2003 |date=2003 |publisher=Regency Publications |isbn=978-81-87498-65-0 |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Presidents_of_India_1950_2003/r2C2InxI0xAC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=rarewala+zail+singh&pg=PA161&printsec=frontcover |access-date=4 October 2022 |language=en}}</ref> He became president of PEPSU Pradesh Congress Committee during 1955-56 when it was merged with Punjab.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Singh |first1=Aastha |title=Giani Zail Singh, the Indira Gandhi loyalist who remains India's only Sikh president |url=https://theprint.in/theprint-profile/giani-zail-singh-the-indira-gandhi-loyalist-who-remains-indias-only-sikh-president/168649/ |access-date=4 October 2022 |work=ThePrint |date=25 December 2018}}</ref>  

During 1956 to 1962, he served as [[Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha|Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha]]. He resigned his membership in March 1962 to contest the [[1962 Punjab Legislative Assembly election|Punjab state assembly elections]] and won from the [[Faridkot Assembly constituency|Faridkot constituency]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Alphabetical List Of Former Members Of Rajya Sabha Since 1952 |url=https://rajyasabha.nic.in/Members/AlphabeticalFormerMember# |publisher=Rajya Sabha, Parliament of India |access-date=4 October 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTION, 1962 TO THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF PUNJAB |publisher=Election Commission of India |location=New Delhi |page=86 |url=https://eci.gov.in/files/file/3444-punjab-1962/ |access-date=4 October 2022}}</ref> He briefly served as a minister in the Partap Singh Kairon ministry but resigned in the wake of the [[Sino-Indian War|1962 war with China]] and the reduction in size of the ministry.<ref>{{cite web |title=First Citizens in the Corridors of Power |url=https://www.rediff.com/news/2004/jun/07sld07.htm |website=www.rediff.com |access-date=4 October 2022}}</ref> In 1966, Singh became president of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee a post he held until his appointment as Chief Minister in 1972.<ref>{{cite web |title=Biodata: Giani Zail Singh |url=https://archive.pib.gov.in/archive/ArchiveSecondPhase/HOME%20AFFAIR/1980-JAN-JULY-HOME-AFFAIRS/PDF/HOM-1980-01-18_011.pdf |publisher=Press Information Bureau |access-date=4 October 2022}}</ref> Although he did not contest the [[1967 Punjab Legislative Assembly election|election of 1967]], he was re-elected to the [[Punjab Legislative Assembly|Punjab Assembly]] from [[Anandpur Sahib]] through a byelection in 1970.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Spectacular Election Victories |journal=Socialist India |date=1970 |volume=II |issue=1 |page=3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yAmr6rR9hfoC&dq=punjab+pcc+chief+zail+singh+1967&pg=RA10-PA3 |access-date=4 October 2022 |publisher=Indian National Congress. All India Congress Committee. |language=en}}</ref>

[[File:Sital Sanman Samaroh - Sept 16th 1975.jpg|thumb|266x266px|16 September 1975, Giani Zail Singh, graced the occasion of Sital Sanman Samaroh, day dedicated to celebrate [[Giani Dhanwant Singh Sital]]. Circa 1975.]]

In the [[1972 Punjab Legislative Assembly election|1972 elections]] to the [[Punjab Legislative Assembly]], Singh was elected from [[Anandpur Sahib Assembly constituency|Anandpur Sahib constituency]].<ref>{{cite book |title=STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTION, 1972 TO THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF PUNJAB |publisher=Election Commission of India |location=New Delhi |page=81 |url=https://eci.gov.in/files/file/3447-punjab-1972/?do=download |access-date=2 October 2022}}</ref> The Congress Party won a majority and formed the government with Singh as [[Chief minister (India)|Chief Minister]]. He and a ten member ministry were sworn in on 17 March 1972.<ref>{{cite news |title=Zail Singh ministry sworn in |url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/archive/arts/zail-singh-ministry-sworn-in-331924 |access-date=2 October 2022 |work=The Tribune |date=4 December 2016 |language=en}}</ref> Singh was the first [[Other Backward Class]] leader and the only non-Jat Sikh to be elected [[List of chief ministers of Punjab (India)|Chief Minister of Punjab]] since its reorganization in 1966 until 2021 when [[Charanjit Singh Channi]], a [[Dalit |Dalit Sikh]], became Chief Minister.<ref>{{cite news |title=Punjab Assembly Elections 2022: Dalit votes matter, but what about their issues |url=https://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog/governance/punjab-assembly-elections-2022-dalit-votes-matter-but-what-about-their-issues-81326 |access-date=2 October 2022 |work=Down To Earth |date=31 January 2022 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Congress Will Win More Than 80 Seats In Punjab: Charanjit Singh Channi |url=https://www.outlookindia.com/national/congress-will-win-more-than-80-seats-says-punjab-chief-minister-interview-183075 |access-date=2 October 2022 |work=Outlook |date=19 February 2022 |language=en}}</ref>  

From the outset Singh projected himself as a champion of the [[Sikhism|Sikh religion]], in part, because he did not belong to the dominant [[Jats|Jat caste]] and also to counter the [[Shiromani Akali Dal|Akali Dal party]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Narang |first1=A. S. |title=Akalis' Secular Turn |journal=Economic and Political Weekly |date=1999 |volume=34 |issue=12 |pages=664–665 |jstor=4407754 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/4407754 |access-date=2 October 2022 |issn=0012-9976}}</ref> As part of this policy, he inaugurated the [[Guru Gobind Singh Marg]] – a highway linking Punjab’s most prominent [[Gurdwara|gurudwaras]], renamed several government hospitals after [[Sikh gurus]], started the [[Guru Nanak Dev University]] in Amritsar and renamed a town near [[Chandigarh]] after one of [[Guru Gobind Singh]]’s sons.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sethi |first1=Sunil |last2=Thukral |first2=Govind |title=Giani Zail Singh: India's most colourful and sartorially elegant President |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/cover-story/story/19820715-giani-zail-singh-indias-most-colourful-and-sartorially-elegant-president-771967-2013-10-18 |access-date=2 October 2022 |work=India Today |date=15 July 1982 |language=en}}</ref> In response to their electoral setbacks, Akali politicians gathered at [[Anandpur Sahib]] in October 1972 and passed a [[Anandpur Sahib Resolution|resolution]] demanding greater autonomy to Punjab and self-determination for the Sikhs.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Fenech |first1=Louis E. |title=Contested Nationalisms; Negotiated Terrains: The Way Sikhs Remember Udham Singh 'Shahid' (1899-1940) |journal=Modern Asian Studies |date=2002 |volume=36 |issue=4 |pages=827–870 |doi=10.1017/S0026749X02004031 |jstor=3876476 |s2cid=145405222 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3876476 |access-date=2 October 2022 |issn=0026-749X}}</ref>

Singh’s government enacted the Punjab Land Reforms Act, 1972 which fixed [[Land reform|land ceilings]] at 18 acres per family. Several key provisions of the Act were struck down the following year by the [[Punjab and Haryana High Court]] prompting a further appeal by the state government in India's [[Supreme Court of India|Supreme Court]].<ref>{{cite journal |title=Judiciary's Blow against Land Reform |journal=Economic and Political Weekly |date=1974 |volume=9 |issue=12 |pages=473–474 |jstor=4363513 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/4363513 |access-date=2 October 2022 |issn=0012-9976}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=A Year of Disillusionment |journal=Economic and Political Weekly |date=1973 |volume=8 |issue=7 |pages=377–378 |jstor=4362326 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/4362326 |access-date=2 October 2022 |issn=0012-9976}}</ref> The Act, which also provided for redistribution of surplus land, failed in its implementation and consequently there was little change in [[Land tenure|land ownership]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Dalit women seek implementation of Land Ceiling Act in Punjab |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/chandigarh-news/dalit-women-seek-implementation-of-land-ceiling-act-in-punjab-101632239593917.html |access-date=2 October 2022 |work=Hindustan Times |date=21 September 2021 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Time to scrap land ceiling laws in Punjab? |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/chandigarh-news/time-to-scrap-land-ceiling-laws-in-punjab-101639393928216.html |access-date=2 October 2022 |work=Hindustan Times |date=13 December 2021 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Chachra |first1=Sandeep |title=Towards a socially just, ecological agriculture |url=https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/towards-a-socially-just-ecological-agriculture/article65546563.ece |access-date=2 October 2022 |work=The Hindu Businessline |date=20 June 2022 |language=en}}</ref>

Singh introduced a scheme for life-long [[pension]] for participants in [[Indian independence movement|India’s independence movement]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Know Your State Punjab |date=2019 |publisher=Arihant Publications India limited |isbn=978-93-131-6766-2 |page=225 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MhrzDwAAQBAJ&dq=freedom+fighters+pension+zail+singh&pg=PA225 |access-date=2 October 2022 |language=en}}</ref> In 1974 Singh repatriated the remains of [[Udham Singh]] from the [[United Kingdom]] which were then taken in a procession to Punjab, cleverly utilizing the media attention and popular interest in it to burnish his credentials. The remains were cremated in [[Sunam]] with full [[State funeral|state honours]] and Singh himself lit the [[Pyre|funeral pyre]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Fenech |first1=Louis E. |title=Contested Nationalisms; Negotiated Terrains: The Way Sikhs Remember Udham Singh 'Shahid' (1899-1940) |journal=Modern Asian Studies |date=2002 |volume=36 |issue=4 |pages=827–870 |doi=10.1017/S0026749X02004031 |jstor=3876476 |s2cid=145405222 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3876476 |access-date=2 October 2022 |issn=0026-749X}}</ref> He also took to honouring the legacy of [[Bhagat Singh]], declaring a gazetted holiday on his birthday, converting his ancestral home at [[Khatkar Kalan]] into a museum and honouring his mother with the title of ‘Punjab Mata’.<ref>{{cite news |title=Declare Mar 23 as gazetted holiday or cancel restricted status: Activists |url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/archive/ludhiana/news-detail-746451 |access-date=2 October 2022 |work=The Tribune |date=21 March 2019 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Punjab: House resolves to install statues of Bhagat Singh, Ambedkar, Ranjit Singh |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chandigarh/punjab-house-resolves-to-install-statues-of-bhagat-singh-ambedkar-ranjit-singh-7831970/ |access-date=2 October 2022 |work=The Indian Express |date=23 March 2022 |language=en}}</ref>

He was also responsible for getting the [[Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology|Department of Electronics]] to establish the Semiconductor Complex Limited at [[Mohali]] in 1974 overriding their preferred choice of [[Chennai|Madras]]. This was India’s first [[semiconductor]] fabricating unit. It became operational in 1983 and manufactured [[integrated chips]] using American knowhow.<ref>{{cite news |title=How Maharashtra lost out, once again, in its bid to become a semiconductor manufacturing hub |url=https://www.businesstoday.in/technology/story/how-maharashtra-lost-out-once-again-in-its-bid-to-become-a-semiconductor-manufacturing-hub-347124-2022-09-13 |access-date=7 October 2022 |work=Business Today |date=13 September 2022 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=India's semiconductor journey |url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/comment/indias-semiconductor-journey-434029 |access-date=7 October 2022 |work=The Tribune |date=22 September 2022 |language=en}}</ref> In 1975, Singh introduced a [[Reservation in India|reservation]] of fifty per cent of jobs for [[Balmikism|Valmikis]] and [[Mazhabi Sikh|Mazhabi Sikhs]] under the quota of jobs reserved for the [[Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes|scheduled castes]]. The move aimed to consolidate the dalit vote behind the Congress Party and enhanced his own standing amongst them.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Jodhka |first1=Surinder S. |last2=Kumar |first2=Avinash |title=Internal Classification of Scheduled Castes: The Punjab Story |journal=Economic and Political Weekly |date=2007 |volume=42 |issue=43 |pages=20–23 |jstor=40276592 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/40276592 |access-date=2 October 2022 |issn=0012-9976}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Punjab: Amarinder Singh asks CM Channi to defend reservation rights of Valmikis, Mazhabi Sikhs |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chandigarh/punjab-amarinder-singh-asks-cm-channi-to-defend-reservation-rights-of-valmikis-mazhabi-sikhs-7626819/ |access-date=2 October 2022 |work=The Indian Express |date=17 November 2021 |language=en}}</ref>

Following the imposition of [[The Emergency (India)|the Emergency]] of 1975, Singh zealously implemented the policies of [[Sanjay Gandhi]]’s five point program. The national population policy with its focus on compulsory [[Sterilization (medicine)|sterilization]] was implemented often through coercive steps of the police and administration. Singh was forced to implement the policy, in part, to retain favour with Sanjay Gandhi, whom he had once described as his savior, and to stave off the challenge to his leadership from other Congress leaders of Punjab, notably [[Mohinder Singh Gill]] who was the party’s president.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Singh |first1=Baljit |title=A Report from Punjab |journal=Economic and Political Weekly |date=1977 |volume=12 |issue=32 |pages=1255–1257 |jstor=4365836 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/4365836 |access-date=2 October 2022 |issn=0012-9976}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Giani Zail Singh poised to become the seventh President of India |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/cover-story/story/19820715-giani-zail-singh-poised-to-become-the-seventh-president-of-india-771992-2013-10-18 |access-date=7 October 2022 |work=India Today |date=15 July 1982 |language=en}}</ref>

In the [[1977 Indian general election|general elections of 1977]] that followed the Emergency, the Congress party for the first time failed to win even a single seat from Punjab.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Singh |first1=Dalip |title=Sixth Lok Sabha Elections in Punjab— A New Dimension in State Politics |journal=The Indian Journal of Political Science |date=1978 |volume=39 |issue=2 |pages=210–227 |jstor=41854842 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41854842 |access-date=2 October 2022 |issn=0019-5510}}</ref> Singh’s tenure as Chief Minister ended on 30 April 1977 when Punjab was placed under [[President's rule]]. In the [[1977 Punjab Legislative Assembly election|elections to the state assembly held in June 1977]], the Shiromani Akali Dal was elected to office winning 58 out of 104 seats in the Legislative Assembly.<ref>{{cite web |title=48. India/Punjab (1947-present) |url=https://uca.edu/politicalscience/dadm-project/asiapacific-region/indiapunjab-1947-present/ |website=uca.edu |publisher=University of Central Arkansas |access-date=2 October 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Chief Ministers of Punjab |url=http://punjabassembly.nic.in/members/showcm.asp |publisher=Punjab Legislative Assembly |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070213075808/http://punjabassembly.nic.in/members/showcm.asp |access-date=2 October 2022|archive-date=13 February 2007 }}</ref>

The defeat of the Congress Party in the elections of 1977 led Sanjay Gandhi and Zail Singh to look for a Sikh leader who would weaken the Akali Dal by espousing a strident stand on matters of Sikh faith thus undercutting the Akalis.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Maiorano |first1=Diego |title=Indian Institutions in the Early 1980s: The pre-history of the great transformation |journal=Modern Asian Studies |date=2014 |volume=48 |issue=5 |pages=1389–1434 |doi=10.1017/S0026749X13000255 |jstor=24494680 |s2cid=145550794 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/24494680 |access-date=2 October 2022 |issn=0026-749X}}</ref> The tactic was inspired partly by Partap Singh Kairon who, as Chief Minister, had propped up [[Fateh Singh (Sikh leader)|Sant Fateh Singh]] as a counter to the Akali leader [[Tara Singh (activist)|Tara Singh]] during the 1960s.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Nayar |first1=Kuldip |title=Operation Blue Star: How Congress invented a saint |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/north/story/jarnail-singh-bhindranwale-congress-sanjay-gandhi-zail-singh-108455-2012-07-08 |access-date=2 October 2022 |work=India Today |date=8 July 2012 |language=en}}</ref> Their choice was [[Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale|Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale]] who was then a little known Sikh preacher but would go on to be a [[Frankenstein's monster]] for his patrons. Bhindranwale came to limelight in 1978 when a clash between his followers and [[Sant Nirankari Mission|Nirankari Sikhs]] led to the death of a dozen people. The Congress party lionized Bhindranwale and helped him establish the Dal Khalsa party. In the general elections of 1980, Bhindranwale even campaigned for Congress candidates.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kundu |first1=Apurba |title=The Indian Armed Forces' Sikh and Non-Sikh Officers' Opinions of Operation Blue Star |journal=Pacific Affairs |date=1994 |volume=67 |issue=1 |pages=46–69 |doi=10.2307/2760119 |jstor=2760119 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2760119 |access-date=2 October 2022 |issn=0030-851X}}</ref>

== Union Minister of Home Affairs (1980-1982)==

In the [[1980 Indian general election|general election of 1980]], which the Congress Party under Mrs Gandhi won, Singh was elected to [[7th Lok Sabha|Parliament]] from [[Hoshiarpur Lok Sabha constituency|Hoshiarpur]].<ref>{{cite book |title=STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTIONS, 1980 TO THE SEVENTH LOK SABHA VOL: II |date=1981 |publisher=Election Commission of India |location=New Delhi |page=318 |url=http://www.ceo.kerala.gov.in/pdf/LOKSABHA-HISTORY/1980-LS.pdf |access-date=2 October 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Lok Sabha Election, January 1980 |url=https://archive.pib.gov.in/archive/ArchiveSecondPhase/Genral%20Election/1980-JAN-DEC-GENERAL-ELECTIONS-PART-2/New%20folder/GEN-1980-01-07_006.pdf |publisher=Press Information Bureau |access-date=4 October 2022}}</ref> He was inducted into the [[Third Indira Gandhi ministry|government]] as [[Minister of Home Affairs (India)|Minister of Home Affairs]] on 14 January 1980 continuing in that post till 22 June 1982.<ref>{{cite web |title=Notification dated 14 January 1980 |url=https://cabsec.gov.in/writereaddata/initial_compositions_of_council_of_ministers/english/1_Upload_1988.pdf |publisher=Cabinet Secretariat |access-date=2 October 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=No.55/1/1/82-Cab dated 23 June 1982 |url=https://www.cabsec.gov.in/writereaddata/changeinportfolio/english/1_Upload_2423.pdf |publisher=Cabinet Secretariat |access-date=2 October 2022}}</ref> The Punjab government under [[Parkash Singh Badal]] was dismissed and the state brought under President’s rule in February 1980. In the elections held in June, the Congress Party won a majority in the Assembly and [[Darbara Singh]], a political rival of Zail Singh, was appointed Chief Minister. The out of power Akali Dal now revived the demands in the Anandpur Sahib resolution and allied with pro-Khalistan forces abroad.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Punjab Scenario |url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/archive/features/punjab-assembly-elections-1980-338296 |access-date=2 October 2022 |work=The Tribune |date=5 June 1980 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Paroha |first1=Uma |title=Terrorism in Punjab: Origins and Dimensions |journal=The Indian Journal of Political Science |date=1993 |volume=54 |issue=2 |pages=238–250 |jstor=41855652 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41855652 |access-date=2 October 2022 |issn=0019-5510}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Zail Singh and Sanjay Gandhi responsible for Punjab mess in 80s : Book |url=https://www.deccanherald.com/content/165399/zail-singh-sanjay-gandhi-responsible.html |access-date=2 October 2022 |work=Deccan Herald |date=31 May 2011 |language=en}}</ref> The factionalism in the Congress and the political feuding between Zail Singh and Darbara Singh further complicated the situation in Punjab and prevented resolute administrative action against the insurgents.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Paroha |first1=Uma |title=Terrorism in Punjab: Origins and Dimensions |journal=The Indian Journal of Political Science |date=1993 |volume=54 |issue=2 |pages=238–250 |jstor=41855652 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41855652 |access-date=2 October 2022 |issn=0019-5510}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Maiorano |first1=Diego |title=Indian Institutions in the Early 1980s: The pre-history of the great transformation |journal=Modern Asian Studies |date=2014 |volume=48 |issue=5 |pages=1389–1434 |doi=10.1017/S0026749X13000255 |jstor=24494680 |s2cid=145550794 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/24494680 |access-date=2 October 2022 |issn=0026-749X}}</ref> Bhindranwale was able to use the discord between the central and state governments to his advantage. Bhindranwale was suspected of involvement in the murders of the Nirankari [[guru]] [[Gurbachan Singh]] in April 1980 and of the newspaper magnate [[Lala Jagat Narain]] in September 1981. Even though arrest warrants were issued against him, Bhindranwale, who was then in the state of [[Haryana]], was able to escape to his gurudwara in the Punjab in an official car provided to him by the [[Bhajan Lal|Chief Minister of that state]] on the instructions of Singh. Bhindranwale gave himself up for arrest later that month but was released from jail in October following widespread unrest in the Punjab and after Singh declared in Parliament that Bhindranwale was not involved in Narain’s murder.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Gupte |first1=Pranay |title=Mother India: A Political Biography of Indira Gandhi |date=20 June 2011 |publisher=Penguin UK |isbn=978-81-8475-548-0 |pages=315–319 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NLrgzlclZKoC&dq=jarnail+singh+jail+zail+singh+parliament&pg=PT365 |access-date=7 October 2022 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Dhillon |first1=Kirpal |title=Identity and Survival: Sikh Militancy in India 1978-1993 |date=22 December 2006 |publisher=Penguin UK |isbn=978-93-85890-38-3 |page=85 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_PU6CwAAQBAJ&dq=jarnail+singh+jail+zail+singh+parliament&pg=PT129 |access-date=7 October 2022 |language=en}}</ref> In each of these instances even as Darbara Singh wanted to crack down on Bhindranwale, Zail Singh intervened on his behalf in the hope of using him as a pawn in his political battle against Darbara Singh.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Chima |first1=Jugdep S. |title=The Sikh Separatist Insurgency in India: Political Leadership and Ethnonationalist Movements |date=1 August 2008 |publisher=SAGE Publications India |isbn=978-81-321-0538-1 |page=63 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qJaHAwAAQBAJ&dq=jarnail+singh+jail+zail+singh+parliament&pg=PA65 |access-date=7 October 2022 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Bal |first1=Hartosh Singh |title=How the Congress propped up Bhindranwale |url=https://caravanmagazine.in/conflict/how-the-congress-propped-up-bhindranwale |access-date=7 October 2022 |work=The Caravan |date=8 June 2019 |language=en}}</ref> Bhindranwale's release served to demoralize the Punjab Police as they now became targets for Sikh extremists and furthered emboldened Bhindranwale.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kohli |first1=David K. E. Bruce Professor of International Affairsy and Professor of Politics Atul |last2=Kohli |first2=Atul |last3=Breman |first3=Jan |last4=Hawthorn |first4=G. P. |title=The Success of India's Democracy |date=6 September 2001 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-80530-8 |page=93 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Io0NsnlRT6sC&dq=jarnail+singh+jail+zail+singh+parliament&pg=PA92 |access-date=7 October 2022 |language=en}}</ref> Similarly, requests to ban the Dal Khalsa by the state government were stonewalled by the Union Home Ministry before the Prime Minister intervened to have the ban imposed.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Congress(I)'s Dangerous Game |journal=Economic and Political Weekly |date=1982 |volume=17 |issue=19 |pages=750 |jstor=4370872 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/4370872 |access-date=2 October 2022 |issn=0012-9976}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kundu |first1=Apurba |title=The Indian Armed Forces' Sikh and Non-Sikh Officers' Opinions of Operation Blue Star |journal=Pacific Affairs |date=1994 |volume=67 |issue=1 |pages=46–69 |doi=10.2307/2760119 |jstor=2760119 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2760119 |access-date=2 October 2022 |issn=0030-851X}}</ref> Singh’s tenure as India’s Home Minister has generally been viewed unfavourably. He was seen as a weak and inept minister who was appointed to prevent him from developing strong base in Punjab and as someone who mishandled crises in the Punjab, [[Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir|Kashmir]] and the [[Northeast India|North East]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Trouble with home minister Shinde |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/columns/trouble-with-home-minister-shinde/story-gzx30uSpga9Av4AMFifvAP.html |access-date=2 October 2022 |work=Hindustan Times |date=21 February 2013 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Gupta |first1=Shekhar |title=Giani Zail Singh: An earthy, politician with a rustic demeanour |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/obituary/story/19950115-giani-zail-singh-an-earthy-politician-with-a-rustic-demeanour-806839-1995-01-15 |access-date=2 October 2022 |work=India Today |date=15 January 1995 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Rodriguez |first1=Alvaro Joseph |title=Political bargaining and the Punjab crisis : the Punjab Accord of 1985 |date=1987 |publisher=The University of British Columbia |pages=30–33 |url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/soa/cIRcle/collections/ubctheses/831/items/1.0097796 |access-date=2 October 2022}}</ref>

In June 1982, Singh was chosen by the Congress party to be its candidate for the [[1982 Indian presidential election|presidential election]] to succeed [[Neelam Sanjiva Reddy]], rejecting a proposal by the opposition to have a consenus candidate. A group of ten opposition parties decided to field the Communist politician [[Hirendranath Mukherjee|Hiren Mukherjee]] as their candidate.<ref>{{cite news |title=June 22, 1982, Forty Years Ago: Presidential Polls |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/editorials/june-22-1982-forty-years-ago-presidential-polls-7983044/ |access-date=27 September 2022 |work=The Indian Express |date=22 June 2022 |language=en}}</ref> Singh’s nomination was seen as a gesture to the Sikhs at a time when the separatist agitation for Khalistan was gaining popularity. However, it was also aimed at keeping Singh out of active politics allowing Singh’s bête noire Darbara Singh to run the Punjab government without interference from the Centre. Singh’s loyalty to the Prime Minister was another reason for his nomination as the Congress party was unsure of its prospects in the general elections scheduled for 1985.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Prime Minister's Choice |journal=Economic and Political Weekly |date=1982 |volume=17 |issue=26 |pages=1046–1047 |jstor=4371051 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/4371051 |access-date=27 September 2022 |issn=0012-9976}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Dubey |first1=Suman |last2=Bobb |first2=Dilip |title=Giani Zail Singh poised to become the seventh President of India |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/cover-story/story/19820715-giani-zail-singh-poised-to-become-the-seventh-president-of-india-771992-2013-10-18 |access-date=27 September 2022 |work=India Today |date=15 July 1982 |language=en}}</ref> The opposition’s original candidate was dropped as Mukherjee was not a registered voter, which is a prerequisite for any person contesting a presidential election. [[Hans Raj Khanna]], a former judge of the [[Supreme Court of India]] who had defended [[Fundamental rights in India|fundamental rights]] and championed the inviolability of the [[Basic structure doctrine|basic structure]] of the constitution during [[The Emergency (India)|the Emergency]] and was subsequently overlooked for appointment as [[Chief Justice of India|Chief Justice]], became the opposition candidate.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Dubey |first1=Suman |last2=Bobb |first2=Dilip |title=Giani Zail Singh poised to become the seventh President of India |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/cover-story/story/19820715-giani-zail-singh-poised-to-become-the-seventh-president-of-india-771992-2013-10-18 |access-date=27 September 2022 |work=India Today |date=15 July 1982 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Stories in the story of presidential poll losers |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/stories-in-the-story-of-presidential-poll-losers-8033894/ |access-date=27 September 2022 |work=The Indian Express |date=17 July 2022 |language=en}}</ref> The election was held on 12 July 1982 with the [[Electoral College (India)|electoral college]] comprising 756 [[Member of Parliament (India)|members of parliament]] and 3827 [[Member of the Legislative Assembly (India)|members of legislative assemblies]]. When the votes were counted on 15 July, Singh emerged the winner with 7,54,113 votes, or 72.7 per cent, against Khanna’s 2,82,685 votes and was declared elected the same day by the [[returning officer]]. Singh won a majority in each of India’s state assemblies except for [[West Bengal Legislative Assembly|West Bengal]] and [[Tripura Legislative Assembly|Tripura]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Background material related to Election to the office of President of India 2017 |date=2017 |publisher=Election Commission of India |location=New Delhi |page=25 |url=https://eci.gov.in/files/file/6925-background-material-related-to-election-to-the-office-of-president-of-india-2017/ |access-date=27 September 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=July 16, 1982, Forty Years Ago: President Zail Singh |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/40-years-ago/forty-years-ago-president-zail-singh-8032143/ |access-date=27 September 2022 |work=The Indian Express |date=16 July 2022 |language=en}}</ref>

Singh was sworn in the seventh President of India on 25 July 1982. He was the first Sikh as also the first person from a [[Other Backward Class|backward caste]] to become president.<ref>{{cite news |title=Neelam Sanjiva Reddy: 109th birth anniversary of India's sixth President |url=https://www.freepressjournal.in/india/neelam-sanjiva-reddy-109th-birth-anniversary-of-indias-sixth-president |access-date=27 September 2022 |work=Free Press Journal |date=18 May 2022 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=July 26, 1982, Forty Years Ago: President Zail Singh |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/editorials/july-26-1982-forty-years-ago-president-zail-singh-plo-palestine-indira-gandhi-8051196/ |access-date=27 September 2022 |work=The Indian Express |date=26 July 2022 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Chawla |first1=Prabhu |title=I would certainly like to play the rightful role assigned to me: Giani Zail Singh |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/cover-story/story/19820715-i-would-certainly-like-to-play-the-rightful-role-assigned-to-me-giani-zail-singh-771972-2013-10-18 |access-date=27 September 2022 |work=India Today |date=15 July 1982 |language=en}}</ref>

=== Indira Gandhi Ministry (1982-1984) ===

Singh was known for his loyalty to Prime Minister [[Indira Gandhi]] and had remarked that he would pick up a broom and become a sweeper if she were to ask him to do so.<ref>{{cite news |title=Time for a non-sycophant |url=https://www.deccanherald.com/content/243605/time-non-sycophant.html |access-date=1 October 2022 |work=Deccan Herald |date=20 April 2012 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Not a luxury suite |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/columns/not-a-luxury-suite/story-CAvvm3blSFTRbboFBcy42L.html |access-date=1 October 2022 |work=Hindustan Times |date=19 April 2012 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=10 stories that changed in our lifetime |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/nation/story/20081229-10-stories-that-changed-in-our-lifetime-738583-2008-12-19 |access-date=1 October 2022 |work=India Today |date=19 December 2008 |language=en}}</ref> It was reported that Singh would walk down to the South Court of [[Rashtrapati Bhavan]] to receive her when she called on him, even opening her car door in breach of all protocol.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Thakur |first1=Sankarshan |title=Hollow voice |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/opinion/hollow-voice-silence-has-been-a-virtue-for-indian-presidents/cid/1873381 |access-date=1 October 2022 |work=www.telegraphindia.com |date=6 July 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Meet the great Indian chamchas of politics |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/meet-the-great-indian-chamchas-of-politics/articleshow/46239925.cms?from=mdr |access-date=1 October 2022 |work=The Economic Times |date=14 February 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Singh |first1=Lt Gen (Retd) Bhopinder |title=India's Next President: Being a Fearless 'Constitutionalist' Is What Matters |url=https://www.thequint.com/voices/opinion/india-president-next-droupadi-murmu-yashwant-sinha#read-more |access-date=1 October 2022 |work=TheQuint |date=15 July 2022 |language=en}}</ref>  

In 1983 [[New Delhi]] hosted both the [[7th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement|seventh summit of the Non-Aligned Movement]] and the [[1983 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting|Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting]]. [[Elizabeth II|Queen Elizabeth II]] and [[Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh|Prince Philip]] arrived on a [[State visit|state visit]] in November 1983, as the guests of President Singh and stayed at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.<ref>{{cite news |title=When the Queen came calling: Elizabeth's three visits to India |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/when-the-queen-came-calling-elizabeths-three-visits-to-india-8141090/ |access-date=7 October 2022 |work=The Indian Express |date=9 September 2022 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Inbound State Visit from India announced |url=https://www.royal.uk/inbound-state-visit-india-announced?page=20 |website=The Royal Family |access-date=7 October 2022 |language=en |date=26 June 2009}}</ref>

As President, he spoke out against the Akali Dal’s assertion that Sikhs were being discriminated against in India, challenged the rule of [[Jathedar|jathedars]] and the role of religious leaders in the separatist movement in Punjab, and criticized the use of [[Gurdwara|Sikh shrines]] as sanctuaries by criminals.<ref>{{cite news |title=President Zail Singh: The most colourful and controversial of Indian Presidents |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/special-report/story/19840415-president-zail-singh-the-most-colourful-and-controversial-of-indian-presidents-802956-1984-04-15 |access-date=1 October 2022 |work=India Today |date=15 April 1984 |language=en}}</ref> In June 1984, the [[Indian Army]] launched [[Operation Blue Star]] to neutralize Sikh militants based in the [[Golden Temple |Golden Temple complex]] in [[Amritsar]]. Singh was not appraised of these plans neither when Punjab was brought under [[President's rule|President’s Rule]] nor when Prime Minister Gandhi met him for a routine briefing the day before the operation was launched.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Singh |first1=Khushwant |title=Operation Blue Star 'was a well-calculated and deliberate slap in the face of an entire community': Khushwant Singh |url=https://scroll.in/article/732469/operation-blue-star-was-a-well-calculated-and-deliberate-slap-in-the-face-of-an-entire-community-khushwant-singh |access-date=1 October 2022 |work=Scroll.in |date=6 June 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=The President who used 'pocket veto' to stall legislation he didn't agree with |url=https://www.sundayguardianlive.com/news/president-used-pocket-veto-stall-legislation-didnt-agree |access-date=1 October 2022 |work=Sunday Guardian Live |date=19 June 2022}}</ref> When Singh visited the Golden Temple complex on 8 June, he was shot at by a [[sniper]]. Although he was not hit, his security officer was seriously injured. Singh was deeply upset at the damage done to the temple complex.<ref>{{cite news |title=India has done well to speak in one voice against Sikh separatism |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/columns/india-has-done-well-to-speak-in-one-voice-against-sikh-separatism/story-dYtdeH0XwnH13uNNsT494H.html |access-date=1 October 2022 |work=Hindustan Times |date=25 February 2018 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Pande |first1=B. D. |title=Operation Bluestar: A Governor Reveals All |url=https://www.rediff.com/news/special/operation-bluestar-a-governor-reveals-al/20211123.htm |access-date=1 October 2022 |work=Rediff |date=23 November 2021 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Singh |first1=Rahul |title=Of faith and force |url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/magazine/of-faith-and-force/article6069856.ece |access-date=1 October 2022 |work=The Hindu |date=31 May 2014 |language=en-IN}}</ref> Singh later justified Operation Blue Star saying bloodshed could have been avoided had militants surrendered and urging all Sikhs to ensure that their temples would not in the future be used to house arms and material not sanctioned by Sikh tradition.<ref>{{cite news |title=Syracuse Post Standard June 18, 1984 Page 3 |url=https://access.newspaperarchive.com/us/new-york/syracuse/syracuse-post-standard/1984/06-18/page-3/ |access-date=1 October 2022 |work=Newspaper Archives}}</ref> In September, the [[Akal Takht]], the highest temporal body in Sikhism, condemned Singh for his alleged role in Operation Blue Star and held him guilty of religious misconduct. He was exonerated 24 days later by the Sikh high priests after he expressed contrition and sought forgiveness before the Akal Takht for the ‘unfortunate incidents’ that had happened there.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Chawla |first1=Prabhu |title=President Zail Singh participates actively to find a solution for Punjab problem |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/cover-story/story/19841015-president-zail-singh-participates-actively-to-find-a-solution-for-punjab-problem-803354-1984-10-15 |access-date=1 October 2022 |work=India Today |date=15 October 1984 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=India has done well to speak in one voice against Sikh separatism |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/columns/india-has-done-well-to-speak-in-one-voice-against-sikh-separatism/story-dYtdeH0XwnH13uNNsT494H.html |access-date=1 October 2022 |work=Hindustan Times |date=25 February 2018 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Punjab speaker seeks pardon at Akal Takht after video of priest touching a cow's tail to his turban goes viral |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/amritsar/punjab-speaker-kultar-singh-sandhwan-apology-akal-takht-video-priest-cow-tail-7837916/ |access-date=1 October 2022 |work=The Indian Express |date=27 March 2022 |language=en}}</ref>

In August 1984, Rashtrapati Bhavan became the venue of an unusual political gathering when [[N. T. Rama Rao]], who had been dismissed as [[List of chief ministers of Andhra Pradesh|Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh]] by the [[List of governors of Andhra Pradesh|Governor]], met Singh with over 160 Members of the Legislative Assembly. The Governor, [[Thakur Ram Lal]], had appointed [[N. Bhaskara Rao]] as the new Chief Minister and provided him a month’s time to prove his majority in the assembly despite the ousted Chief Minister’s claim of being able to prove his own majority in two days’ time and evidence that he was supported by a majority of legislators. Following widespread protests, the Governor was recalled and NT Rama Rao returned as chief minister following a vote of confidence. The Singh presidency saw similar dismissal of state governments and imposition of President’s rule in [[Jammu and Kashmir (state)|Jammu and Kashmir]] and in [[Sikkim]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Dismissal of NTR ministry planned, Nadendla Bhaskara Rao nurtured with care of an assassin |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/cover-story/story/19840915-dismissal-of-ntr-ministry-planned-nadendla-bhaskara-rao-nurtured-with-care-of-an-assassin-803240-1984-09-15 |access-date=6 October 2022 |work=India Today |date=15 September 1984 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Claiborne |first1=William |title=Rama Rao Appeals To President |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1984/08/22/rama-rao-appeals-to-president/1fa0e3df-46d7-4eda-aef8-a6e88480ef93/ |access-date=6 October 2022 |newspaper=Washington Post |date=22 August 1984}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=The Problem Of Adversarial Governors And Lieutenant Governors – The Leaflet |url=https://theleaflet.in/the-problem-of-adversarial-governors-and-lieutenant-governors/ |access-date=6 October 2022 |work=theleaflet.in |date=26 June 2021}}</ref>

Prime Minister [[Assassination of Indira Gandhi|Indira Gandhi was assassinated]] on 31 October 1984 by her Sikh bodyguards.<ref>{{cite news |title=Operation Blue Star: India's first tryst with militant extremism |url=https://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-operation-blue-star-india-s-first-tryst-with-militant-extremism-2270293 |access-date=1 October 2022 |work=DNA India |date=5 November 2016 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Delhi 1984: Memories of a massacre |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8306420.stm |access-date=1 October 2022 |work=BBC News |date=1 November 2009}}</ref> Indira’s son [[Rajiv Gandhi]] and [[Minister of Finance (India)|Finance Minister]] [[Pranab Mukherjee]] were in [[West Bengal]] campaigning for upcoming assembly elections while Singh was on a [[state visit]] to [[Yemen Arab Republic|North Yemen]]. He returned to Delhi the same evening and visited the [[All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi|All India Institute of Medical Sciences]] where Indira Gandhi had been admitted. The presidential cavalcade was pelted with stones en route and violence against Sikhs began in Delhi.<ref>{{cite news |title=ASSASSINATION IN INDIA: VIOLENCE RIPPLES THROUGH THE NATION; SIKHS ATTACKED BY HINDUS IN AT LEAST 8 INDIAN CITIES |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/11/01/world/assassination-india-violence-ripples-through-nation-sikhs-attacked-hindus-least.html |access-date=1 October 2022 |work=The New York Times |date=1 November 1984}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Ashraf |first1=Ajaz |title=Lest we forget: What five eminent Sikhs and a former prime minister witnessed during the 1984 riots |url=https://scroll.in/article/820242/lest-we-forget-what-five-eminent-sikhs-and-a-former-prime-minister-witnessed-during-the-1984-riots |access-date=1 October 2022 |work=Scroll.in |date=31 October 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Prelude To The Violence |url=https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/prelude-to-the-violence/228236 |access-date=1 October 2022 |work=Outlook |date=3 February 2022 |language=en}}</ref> After the deaths of Prime Ministers [[Jawaharlal Nehru|Nehru]] in 1964 and [[Lal Bahadur Shastri|Shastri]] in 1966, the President had appointed the [[Gulzarilal Nanda|senior most Cabinet minister]] as the [[Acting prime minister|acting Prime Minister]] while the [[Indian National Congress|Congress Parliamentary Party]] went about electing a new leader who would then become Prime Minister. That convention would have required Singh to appoint Pranab Mukherjee as the acting prime minister. However, the Congress Parliamentary Board, which is the executive committee of the parliamentary party, nominated Rajiv Gandhi for appointment as Prime Minister. Accordingly, Singh swore Rajiv Gandhi in as Prime Minister in the evening of 21 October 1984. The choice of Rajiv Gandhi was unanimously approved by the Congress Parliamentary Party three days later.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hardgrave |first1=Robert L. |title=India in 1984: Confrontation, Assassination, and Succession |journal=Asian Survey |date=1985 |volume=25 |issue=2 |pages=131–144 |doi=10.2307/2644297 |jstor=2644297 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2644297 |access-date=1 October 2022 |issn=0004-4687}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Pranab Mukherjee recalls how Rajiv Gandhi became PM after Indira's death |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india/pranab-mukherjee-recalls-how-rajiv-gandhi-became-pm-denies-he-tried-to-clinch-post/story-nLtDpvKNPXir0OUNBCFliN.html |access-date=1 October 2022 |work=Hindustan Times |date=28 January 2016 |language=en}}</ref>

=== Rajiv Gandhi Ministry (1984-1987) ===

Indira Gandhi’s assassination was followed by [[1984 anti-Sikh riots|anti-Sikh rioting]] across India which lasted for four days till 3 November 1984.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Pillalamarri |first1=Akhilesh |title=India's Anti-Sikh Riots, 30 Years On |url=https://thediplomat.com/2014/10/indias-anti-sikh-riots-30-years-on/ |access-date=1 October 2022 |work=thediplomat.com |date=31 October 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Jha |first1=Dhirendra K. |title=1984 anti-Sikh riots were an organised massacre, says 'Caravan' article |url=https://scroll.in/article/682059/1984-anti-sikh-riots-were-an-organised-massacre-says-caravan-article |access-date=1 October 2022 |work=Scroll.in |date=3 October 2014}}</ref> Although constitutionally the supreme commander of the [[Indian Armed Forces|Indian armed forces]], Singh was unable to act to stop the violence.<ref>{{cite web |title=Report: JUSTICE NANAVATI COMMISSION OF INQUIRY (1984 Anti-Sikh Riots) : Volume 1 |url=https://www.mha.gov.in/sites/default/files/Nanavati-I_eng_0.pdf |publisher=Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India |access-date=1 October 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Rubbing salt into Sikhs' wounds |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/opinions/2018/sep/11/rubbing-salt-into-sikhs-wounds-1870264.html |access-date=1 October 2022 |work=The New Indian Express |date=11 September 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Singh |first1=Khushwant |title=Oh, That Other Hindu Riot Of Passage By Khushwant Singh |url=https://countercurrents.org/comm-khushwantsing071104.htm |access-date=1 October 2022 |work=countercurrents.org |date=7 November 2004}}</ref>  

[[Tarlochan Singh]], President Singh’s [[Press secretary|Press Secretary]], later alleged that although the President had tried to talk to the Prime Minister regarding the rioting in Delhi, Rajiv Gandhi never got back to him and that the [[Minister of Home Affairs (India)|Home Minister]], [[P. V. Narasimha Rao]], told him that the government was busy arranging [[Assassination of Indira Gandhi|Indira Gandhi’s funeral]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Rajiv Gandhi didnt take calls from Prez after 84 riots broke out |url=https://www.financialexpress.com/archive/rajiv-gandhi-didnt-take-calls-from-prez-after-84-riots-broke-out/1221759/ |access-date=1 October 2022 |work=The Financial Express |date=30 January 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=1984 riots: When silence spoke so unmistakably (Comment: Special to IANS) |url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/1984-riots-when-silence-spoke-so-unmistakably-comment-special-to-ians-115071400164_1.html |access-date=1 October 2022 |work=Business Standard India |date=14 July 2015}}</ref> Singh later admitted that his commitment to the Congress party and to the [[Constitution of India|Indian constitution]] were severely tested by these events but he chose to remain in his post.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gupta |first1=Shekhar |title=Giani Zail Singh: An earthy, politician with a rustic demeanour |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/obituary/story/19950115-giani-zail-singh-an-earthy-politician-with-a-rustic-demeanour-806839-1995-01-15 |access-date=1 October 2022 |work=India Today |date=15 January 1995 |language=en}}</ref>

Rajiv Gandhi soon called for [[General election|parliamentary elections]] which were held between [[1984 Indian general election|24 and 28 December 1984]]. The Congress Party won 404 out of the 514 seats, the highest number ever won by a party in India’s general elections. Gandhi and a forty member council of ministers were sworn in on 31 December 1984.<ref>{{cite web |title=India |url=http://archive.ipu.org/parline-e/reports/arc/INDIA_1984_E.PDF |publisher=Inter-Parliamentary Union |access-date=1 October 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Rajiv Gandhi: Youngest Prime Minister at 40, who won the largest mandate |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/political-pulse/rajiv-gandhi-youngest-prime-minister-largest-mandate-7932411/ |access-date=1 October 2022 |work=The Indian Express |date=23 May 2022 |language=en}}</ref>  

However, the relationship between President and Prime Minister quickly turned sour. Rajiv Gandhi viewed Singh as a rustic parvenu whose actions were partly responsible for the imbroglio in the Punjab that had led to his mother’s assassination.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ramesh |first1=K. V. |title=Rajendra Prasad and Zail Singh: The two presidents who chose not to toe the PMO line |url=https://www.news9live.com/opinion-blogs/rajendra-prasad-and-zail-singh-the-two-presidents-who-chose-not-to-tow-the-pmo-line-183421 |access-date=1 October 2022 |work=NEWS9LIVE |date=18 July 2022 |language=en}}</ref> As Prime Minister, Gandhi called on Singh only once before the elections and dispensed with the practice of calling on the President to discuss matters of state entirely. Following his cue, Union Ministers too stopped calling on Singh, a situation that lasted for almost two years before Gandhi gave-in and called on Singh in March 1987.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Chawla |first1=Prabhu |title=President Zail Singh questions govt's decisions, much to PM Rajiv Gandhi's embarrassment |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/cover-story/story/19870228-president-zail-singh-questions-govt-decisions-much-to-pm-rajiv-gandhi-embarrassment-798591-1987-02-28 |access-date=1 October 2022 |work=India Today |date=28 February 1987 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=The Guardian 30 Mar 1987, page 8 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/260278016/?terms=%22zail%20singh%22&match=1 |access-date=2 October 2022 |work=Newspapers.com |language=en}}</ref> The Prime Minister stopped briefing the President about matters of domestic and [[Foreign relations of India|foreign policy]]. Gandhi also refused to sanction official visits abroad for Singh and Congress governments in the states began to put off visits by the President.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Chawla |first1=Prabhu |title=Rift between President Zail Singh and PM Rajiv Gandhi 'amicably settled' |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/special-report/story/19870415-rift-between-president-zail-singh-and-pm-rajiv-gandhi-amicably-settled-798768-1987-04-15 |access-date=1 October 2022 |work=India Today |date=15 April 1987 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Chawla |first1=Prabhu |title=President Zail Singh questions govt's decisions, much to PM Rajiv Gandhi's embarrassment |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/cover-story/story/19870228-president-zail-singh-questions-govt-decisions-much-to-pm-rajiv-gandhi-embarrassment-798591-1987-02-28 |access-date=1 October 2022 |work=India Today |date=28 February 1987 |language=en}}</ref> Singh retaliated by subjecting all proposals sent to him to minute scrutiny, seeking explanations from the government on not formulating a policy on judicial appointments, questioning its television coverage policy and cautioning the [[List of governors of Andhra Pradesh|Governor of Andhra Pradesh]], [[Kumudben Joshi]], to desist from interfering in the state’s politics besides seeking an explanation from the [[Chief Election Commissioner of India]] about delay in holding scheduled elections in the state of [[Haryana]]. These interventions caused the government considerable embarrassment.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Chawla |first1=Prabhu |title=President Zail Singh questions govt's decisions, much to PM Rajiv Gandhi's embarrassment |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/cover-story/story/19870228-president-zail-singh-questions-govt-decisions-much-to-pm-rajiv-gandhi-embarrassment-798591-1987-02-28 |access-date=1 October 2022 |work=India Today |date=28 February 1987 |language=en}}</ref>

However, Singh is best remembered for his stance on the Indian Post Office (Amendment) Bill, 1986. The bill, passed by both houses of Parliament, empowered central and state governments to intercept, inspect and detain any items in the [[Mail|post]] perceived to be a threat to [[national security]]. In effect, the bill gave the government unbridled powers to surveil postal communication and violated [[Civil and political rights|citizens’ rights]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Manor |first1=James |title=The Office of the President @75 |url=https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/the-office-of-the-president-75/ |website=ORF |publisher=Observer Research Foundation |access-date=1 October 2022}}</ref> Singh, instead of returning the bill to the parliament for its reconsideration, decided to withhold his assent to it. If the bill were to be sent back parliament, in which the Congress party held an overwhelming majority, it could have reiterated its support for the bill which would have forced Singh to give it his assent. As the Constitution places no time limit within which Presidential assent is to be given to legislation sent to him, Singh decided to keep it in abeyance – thus effecting a [[pocket veto]]. The bill remained unsigned even by his successor who returned it to the Rajya Sabha for its reconsideration.{{efn|Article 111 of the [[Constitution of India|Indian Constitution]] stipulates that when a bill has been passed by the Houses of Parliament, it shall be presented to the President, who shall either assent to the bill, or withhold his assent or return it to Parliament requesting that it reconsider the Bill or any specified provisions thereof. “''When a Bill is so returned, the Houses shall reconsider the Bill accordingly, and if the Bill is passed again by the Houses with or without amendment and presented to the President for assent, the President shall not withhold assent therefrom''”.<ref>{{cite web |title=Article 111 in The Constitution Of India 1949 |url=https://indiankanoon.org/doc/158646/ |publisher=Indian Kanoon |access-date=6 October 2022}}</ref> As the bill was returned to the Rajya Sabha, it would not lapse on the dissolution of the Lok Sabha. It was never taken up for consideration during the next twelve years and was finally withdrawn in 2002.<ref>{{cite web |title=Motion To Withdraw The Indian Post Office (Amentment) Bill, 1986 on 16 March, 2002 |url=https://indiankanoon.org/doc/472575/ |publisher=Indian Kanoon |access-date=1 October 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Govt withdraws Post Office bill |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/policy/govt-withdraws-post-office-bill/articleshow/3954527.cms |access-date=1 October 2022 |work=The Economic Times |date=16 March 2002}}</ref>}}<ref>}}{{cite news |title=From Irwin to Murmu: The house of political stability |url=https://www.theweek.in/columns/prasannan/2022/07/23/legacy-of-the-president-from-irwin-to-murmu.html |access-date=1 October 2022 |work=The Week |date=31 July 2022 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Remembering Giani Zail Singh in the week of his 100th birth anniversary |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/a-different-president-giani-zail-singh-2788090/ |access-date=1 October 2022 |work=The Indian Express |date=7 May 2016 |language=en}}</ref>

During 1986-87, as [[Bofors scandal|allegations of corruption]] began to surface in the procurement of [[Bofors]] [[Howitzer|howitzers]] by the Indian government, Zail Singh sought information regarding the matter from the Government. Prime Minister Gandhi took the stance that the President did not have the right to know every classified matter made available to the Prime Minister or the [[Union Council of Ministers|Council of Ministers]] and the Cabinet passed a resolution rejecting Singh’s demand. In Parliament however Gandhi stated that the “president was being fully informed”, a patently false statement. Singh responded by writing to the Prime Minister narrating specific instances where no information had been furnished despite repeated demands. A copy of the letter was leaked to the press. This allegation by the [[head of state]] against the [[head of government]] served to further reduce the government’s credibility.<ref>{{cite news |title=The President who used 'pocket veto' to stall legislation he didn't agree with |url=https://www.sundayguardianlive.com/news/president-used-pocket-veto-stall-legislation-didnt-agree |access-date=6 October 2022 |work=The Sunday Guardian Live |date=19 June 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Rear View: How Rajiv had a great fall |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/rear-view-how-rajiv-had-a-great-fall/ |access-date=6 October 2022 |work=The Indian Express |date=5 January 2015 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Malik |first1=Lokendra |title=President's Right to Seek Information Under Article 78 of the Constitution of India |journal=Journal of the Indian Law Institute |date=2015 |volume=57 |issue=2 |pages=174–196 |jstor=44782500 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/44782500 |access-date=6 October 2022 |issn=0019-5731}}</ref>

By 1987, it was widely speculated that President Singh intended to dismiss the Rajiv Gandhi ministry and appoint in its place a caretaker ministry under either R. Venkatraman or P.V. Narasimha Rao.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Chowdhury |first1=Neerja |title=Presidential Poll: Choosing a president for our time |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/presidential-poll-choosing-a-president-for-our-time-7975764/ |access-date=2 October 2022 |work=The Indian Express |date=17 June 2022 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=The President cannot be a rubber stamp |url=https://www.sundayguardianlive.com/news/president-cannot-rubber-stamp |access-date=2 October 2022 |work=The Sunday Guardian Live |date=11 June 2022}}</ref> As Singh’s tenure was drawing to a close, it was thought that such a move would lead to a second term in office for him with support from the opposition and members of the Congress party opposed to Rajiv Gandhi.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Los Angeles Times 17 Jul 1987, page 15 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/405038762/?terms=%22zail%20singh%22&match=1 |access-date=3 October 2022 |work=Newspapers.com |language=en}}</ref> Gandhi, who had strained relations with the [[Chief of the Army Staff (India)|Chief of the Army Staff]] [[Krishnaswamy Sundarji|General Sundarji]] and his Defence Minister [[Arun Singh (politician, born 1944)|Arun Singh]], was opposed to giving Singh a further term in office.<ref>{{cite news |title=Army plotted to overthrow Rajiv govt in 1987: Lt gen Hoon |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india/army-plotted-to-overthrow-rajiv-govt-in-1987-lt-gen-hoon/story-JhUTT96mv9tqOqL12QJR0O.html |access-date=2 October 2022 |work=Hindustan Times |date=5 October 2015 |language=en}}</ref> Singh however never acted on the plan and decided not to seek a second term as he failed to get the open support of the opposition and feared it could lead to an [[Coup d'état|army takeover]].<ref>{{cite news |title=The Los Angeles Times 13 Jul 1987, page 10 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/404867984/?terms=%22zail%20singh%22&match=1 |access-date=3 October 2022 |work=Newspapers.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Why BJP still needs to make the right choice for next president |url=https://www.firstpost.com/opinion/why-bjp-still-needs-to-make-the-right-choice-for-next-president-10778891.html |access-date=2 October 2022 |work=Firstpost |date=10 June 2022 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Chawla |first1=Prabhu |title=A tantalising tit-bit from former President Giani Zail Singh |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/indiascope/story/19880331-a-tantalising-tit-bit-from-former-president-giani-zail-singh-797077-1988-03-31 |access-date=2 October 2022 |work=India Today |date=31 March 1988 |language=en}}</ref>

=== State Visits ===

Singh led state visits to [[Czechoslovakia]], [[India–Qatar relations|Qatar]] and [[Bahrain–India relations|Bahrain]] in 1983, to [[India–Mexico relations|Mexico]] and [[Argentina–India relations|Argentina]] and to [[India–Mauritius relations|Mauritius]], [[Yemen Arab Republic|North]] and [[South Yemen]] in 1984. Singh was in [[Aden]], [[Yemen]] when Indira Gandhi was assassinated. He also made visits to [[India–Nepal relations|Nepal]], [[India–Yugoslavia relations|Yugoslavia]], [[Greece–India relations|Greece]] and [[India–Poland relations|Poland]] in 1986.<ref>{{cite web |title=भारत गणराज्य के राष्ट्रपतत ज्ञानी जैल स िंह की राजकीय यात्रा |url=https://rashtrapatisachivalaya.gov.in/sites/default/files/formerpresident_visit/gzs_statevisit.pdf |publisher=Rashtrapati Sachivalaya |access-date=1 October 2022}}</ref> As the relationship between Rajiv Gandhi and Singh soured, the government began sending [[Vice President of India|Vice President]] [[Ramaswamy Venkataraman|R. Venkataraman]] on trips abroad in place of Singh. Even visits to nations which were customarily made by the [[head of state]] began to be made by the vice-president or the prime minister and some, such as a visit to [[India–Zimbabwe relations|Zimbabwe]], which had been finalized were cancelled. Consequently, Singh became one of the least travelled Presidents of India.<ref>{{cite news |title=The President who used 'pocket veto' to stall legislation he didn't agree with |url=https://www.sundayguardianlive.com/news/president-used-pocket-veto-stall-legislation-didnt-agree |access-date=1 October 2022 |work=The Sunday Guardian Live |date=19 June 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Chawla |first1=Prabhu |title=President Zail Singh may end up being the least travelled head of state |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/indiascope/story/19860131-president-zail-singh-may-end-up-being-the-least-travelled-head-of-state-800530-1986-01-31 |access-date=1 October 2022 |work=India Today |date=31 January 1986 |language=en}}</ref>

==Later life and death ==

Singh was succeeded to the presidency by [[R. Venkataraman]], who was sworn in on 25 July 1987.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Los Angeles Times 26 Jul 1987, page 5 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/403942686/?terms=%22zail%20singh%22&match=1 |access-date=3 October 2022 |work=Newspapers.com |language=en}}</ref> Singh chose to spend his retirement in Delhi where the government provided him with a bungalow on Circular Road.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Aneja |first1=Rajendra K. |title=Big is not beautiful |url=https://www.livemint.com/Opinion/0FTaHfnWZNxB7DEaZMZqNO/Big-is-not-beautiful.html |access-date=7 October 2022 |work=mint |date=16 August 2007 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Government looks for a suitable residence for outgoing President Zail Singh in New Delhi |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/indiascope/story/19870715-government-looks-for-a-suitable-residence-for-outgoing-president-zail-singh-in-new-delhi-799062-1987-07-14 |access-date=7 October 2022 |work=India Today |date=15 July 1987 |language=en}}</ref>  

Singh was severely injured in a [[Traffic collisions in India|road accident]] when his car collided with a truck at [[Kiratpur Sahib]] in the [[Rupnagar district|Ropar district]] of Punjab on 29 November 1994.<ref>{{cite news |title=Zail Singh's death: RI for truck driver |url=http://www.thehindu.com/2000/12/07/stories/0207000n.htm |access-date=27 September 2022 |work=The Hindu |date=3 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141203070243/http://www.thehindu.com/2000/12/07/stories/0207000n.htm |archive-date=3 December 2014 }}</ref> Singh was admitted to the [[Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research]] in [[Chandigarh]] where he died on 25 December 1994 aged 78.<ref>{{cite news |title=Cyrus Mistry death: Here's a list of other high-profile accidents |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/cyrus-mistry-death-here-s-a-list-of-other-high-profile-accidents-101662374309994.html |access-date=27 September 2022 |work=Hindustan Times |date=5 September 2022 |language=en}}</ref> The [[Government of India]] declared 7 days of [[National day of mourning|national mourning]].<ref>{{cite web |title=SHRI GIANI ZAIL SINGH PASSES AWAY - GOVERNMENT DECLARES SEVEN DAYS MOURNING FROM TODAY |url=https://archive.pib.gov.in/archive/ArchiveSecondPhase/HOME%20AFFAIR/1994-JAN-DEC-HOME-AFFAIRS/PDF/HOM-1994-12-25_240.pdf |publisher=Press Information Bureau |access-date=4 October 2022}}</ref> His [[cremation]] was held on 26 December in Delhi where his [[Samadhi (shrine)|samadhi]] is located at [[Raj Ghat and associated memorials|Ekta Sthal]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Zail Singh dies after car crash |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/zail-singh-dies-after-car-crash-1388541.html |access-date=27 September 2022 |work=The Independent |date=26 December 1994 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Crematoriums and samadhi sthals or memorials of famous people in India and the world |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/gk-current-affairs/story/crematoriums-and-samadhi-sthals-or-memorials-of-famous-people-in-india-and-the-world-1580118-2019-08-12 |access-date=27 September 2022 |work=India Today |date=12 August 2019 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Nation |url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/2000/20000506/nation.htm |access-date=27 September 2022 |work=www.tribuneindia.com |date=6 May 2000}}</ref>

[[File:Stamp of India - 1995 - Colnect 163737 - Giani Zail Singh former President - Commemoration.jpeg|thumb|Zail Singh on 100 paise Indian stamp issued in 1995.]]

A commemorative [[postage stamp]] was issued by India's [[India Posts|Department of Posts]] on the occasion of Singh's first death anniversary in 1995.<ref>{{cite web |title=SPECIAL POSTAGE STAMP ON GIANI ZAIL SINGH |url=https://archive.pib.gov.in/archive/ArchiveSecondPhase/COMMUNICATION/1998-JAN-DEC-COMMUNICATIONS-II/COM-1995-12-23_069.pdf |publisher=Press Information Bureau |access-date=7 October 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The President of India, Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma paying floral tributes to late Giani Zail Singh, former President of India on his first death anniversary and releasing a commemorative stamp on him, in New Delhi on December 25, 1995. |url=https://dpl.presidentofindia.nic.in/handle/123456789/3379?viewItem=search |publisher=Digital Photo Library, Rashtrapati Bhavan |access-date=7 October 2022 |date=13 September 2017}}</ref> The [[Giani Zail Singh Campus College of Engineering and Technology]], [[Bathinda|Bhatinda]] is named after him.<ref>{{cite news |title=No takers for engineering courses: Only 76 students apply for Bathinda college with 639 seats |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/education/at-bathinda-college-that-houses-new-ptu-76-students-for-639-engg-seats/story-JJRhwfKGuZoxlme511B0AN.html |access-date=7 October 2022 |work=Hindustan Times |date=4 July 2017 |language=en}}</ref> The birth [[Centennial|centenary]] of Singh was celebrated in 2016 at which a documentary film on his life and a book were released in his honour.<ref>{{cite web |title=President of India paid homage to Giani Zail Singh on his 100th Birth Anniversary |url=https://pib.gov.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=144895 |website=pib.gov.in |publisher=Press Information Bureau |access-date=7 October 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Giani Zail Singh remembered |url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/archive/nation/giani-zail-singh-remembered-232845 |access-date=7 October 2022 |work=The Tribune |date=6 May 2016 |language=en}}</ref>

{{Reflist|2}}

* [https://archive.org/details/dli.MoI.NewsMag271_ZailSinghpassesaway_Eng Zail Singh Passes Away: A film from the Government of India, Ministry of Information, Films Division]  

{{s-bef|before=[[Yashwantrao Chavan]]}}

{{s-ttl|title=[[Minister of Home Affairs (India)|Minister of Home Affairs]]|years=1980–1982}}

{{s-aft|rows=2|after=[[Ramaswamy Venkataraman|R. Venkataraman]]}}

{{s-bef|before=[[Neelam Sanjiva Reddy]]}}

{{s-ttl|title=[[President of India]]|years=1982–1987}}

{{s-bef|before=[[Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy]]}}

{{s-ttl|title=Secretary General of the [[Non-Aligned Movement]]|years=1983–1986}}

{{s-aft|after=[[Ramaswamy Venkataraman|R. Venkataraman]]}}

 

[[Category:Chief Ministers of Punjab, India]]

[[Category:Indian Sikhs]]

[[Category:Ministers of Internal Affairs of India]]

[[Category:Accidental deaths in India]]