Rao Birender Singh

February 20, 2023

A commemorative postage stamp on Raja Rao Birender Singh, 2^nd Chief Minister of Haryana (Mar 1967 – Nov 1967) :

Issued by India

Issued on Feb 20, 2023

Issued for : Department of Posts is pleased to issue a Commemorative Postage Stamp on Rao Birender Singh.

Credits :
Stamp/FDC/Brochure : Ms. Vinita Sinha
Cancellation Cachet : Mrs. Nenu Gupta

Type : Stamp, Mint Condition

Colour : Multi Colour

Denomination : 500 Paise

Stamps Printed : 301805 each

Printing Process : Wet Offset

Printer : Security Printing Press, Hyderabad

Name : Birender Singh

Born on Feb 20, 1921 at Rewari, Punjab, British India [now in Haryana, India]

Died on Sep 30, 2009 at Gurgaon, Haryana, India

About :

Former Chief Minister of Haryana and Cabinet Minister in Government of India, Late Rao Birender Singh, a descendant of Shaheed-e-Azam Rao Tula Ram, a frontline hero of the 1857 movement for Independence, belonged to the Royal Family of Rewari. He was born on 20^th February 1921 in Rewari (Haryana). Educated at the prestigious St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University he served as a Captain in the Indian Army. Though selected to the Indian Police Service in 1950, he preferred the army to serve the Nation.
Rao Birender Singh started his political career in 1954 by being elected as an independent to the Punjab Legislative Assembly. Keeping in view his immense popularity amongst the masses, Punjab Chief Minister Shri Pratap Singh Kairon gave him a place in the Cabinet and he served the public, handling important Ministries like Public Works, Transport, Revenue and Irrigation. In 1961, he resigned from the Kairon Cabinet due to apathy towards the Hindi-speaking areas of Punjab and raised the demand for a separate State of Haryana. His struggle paved the way for the creation of a separate Haryana State in 1966. In 1967, Rao Birender Singh was elected as the first Speaker of the newly formed Haryana Legislative Assembly. In 1967, he was elected as an MLA from Pataudi Assembly. On 23^rd March, 1967, Rao Birender Singh became Chief Minister of Haryana and took decisions for the welfare of people of Haryana. In 1971, Rao Birender Singh was elected from the Mahendragarh Lok Sabha Constituency on a Vishal Haryana Party ticket. In 1977, Mrs. Indira Gandhi herself lost the election. Subsequently, Mrs. Gandhi came to Rewari and appealed to Rao Birender Singh in a public meeting to cooperate in difficult times. Which he did! Keeping in view his cooperation, given in the 1980 Lok Sabha elections, Rao Birender Singh was inducted as the Union Minister for Agriculture, Rural Development, Irrigation and Civil Supplies.
On 31^st December 1981, as the Union Irrigation Minister, he paved the way for the historic Raavi – Beas Water Agreement signed by the Chief Ministers of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan and the then Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi. While being the Union Agriculture Minister, he did many welfare works for the farmers and due to his policies, the farmers got the maximum price for their produce. Due to his farmer-friendly policy, the farmers coined a slogan about him: Rao-Aaya, Bhav-Aaya. During his tenure as Agriculture Minister, the production of food grains in the country increased from 107 to 185 metric tonnes annually. While being the Union Civil Supplies Minister, Rao Birender Singh approved the Consumer Protection Act. After this, consumer courts were formed across the country and the door of justice opened up for the consumer.
After general Election of 1984, Rao Birender Singh joined as Union Agriculture and Food Minister under the leadership of the then Prime Minister Shri Rajiv Gandhi. Rao Birender Singh resigned on 25^th September 1985 from the Cabinet as he was against Rajiv Longowal Agreement, on the Table of the House itself. In the history of independent India it was the first time when any cabinet minister has given his resignation letter in public interest in the House itself. He later resigned from Parliament and the Congress Party.
In 1989 he won the Lok Sabha election on the Janta Dal ticket and he served the country as the Union Food and Public Distribution Minister in the Chandra Shekhar Cabinet.
Rao Birender Singh always strived to raise the voice of Farmers, underprivileged, minorities and backward classes of the country and as the chief of All India Yadav Maha Sabha he raised the demand for their representation in Vidhan Sabha and Provincial Parishads across the country.
Rao Birender Singh died at the age of 88 years on 30^th September 2009.
Text : Based on information provided by the proponent.