After battling from the lung infection and a serious chest infection, former Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral passed away at the Medanta Hospital here on Friday. He was 92 and was admitted to the hospital following a lung infection on November 19. He was on the ventilator.
He was born on December 4, 1919, Gujral served as the 12th Prime Minister of India from April 1997 to March 1998. Apart from this, he had served various portfolios as minister and was Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting during the chaotic days of 1975 and thereafter, he was appointed as Ambassador of India to the Soviet Union.
Gujaral joined Jantad Dal during the V.P.Singh era after leaving Congress and elected from the Jalandhar parliamentary constituency in Punjab. He served as Minister of External Affairs in former Prime Minister V. P. Singh's cabinet.
When V.P.Singh was the Prime Minister of India during Janata Dal government, he served as Minister of External Affairs. He played crucial role during 1989 into seal the deal with the kidnappers in the case of the 1989 kidnapping of Rubaiya Sayeed.
Apart from this, he also significant role during the Iraq's invasion on Kuwait and had deal with the subsequent events that led to the first Gulf War of January 1991.
After the 1996 elections, when the United Front government was formed at the center under the premiership of H. D. Deve Gowda, Gujral was again named Minister of External Affairs. During this second tenure, he propounded his 'Gujral Doctrine', which called for better relations with neighbours.
He also served as Union Minister or Minister of State of several other portfolios-Communications and Parliamentary Affairs, Information and Broadcasting, Works and Housing and Planning. He also participated in India's freedom struggle, and was jailed in 1942 during the 'Quit India Movement'.
He spent his last decade with writing and speaking on the foreign policy issues.
(With inputs from ANI)
|
|
Comments:
