View source for Surjit Singh Barnala

{{Short description|Indian politician}}
{{Use Indian English|date=November 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2015}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name                = Surjit Singh Barnala
| image               = The Vice President, Shri Mohd. Hamid Ansari with the Governor of Tamil Nadu, Shri Surjit Singh Barnala and the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Dr. Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi (cropped) (Surjit Singh Barnala).png
| order               = 8th
| office              = Governor of Tamil Nadu
| term_start          = 3 November 2004
| term_end            = 31 August 2011
| 1blankname          = Chief Minister
| 1namedata           = [[J. Jayalalithaa]]<br>[[M. Karunanidhi]]
| predecessor         = [[P. S. Ramamohan Rao]]
| successor           = [[Konijeti Rosaiah]]
| term_start1         = 24 May 1990
| term_end1           = 15 February 1991
| 1blankname1         = Chief Minister
| 1namedata1          = M. Karunanidhi
| predecessor1        = [[P. C. Alexander]]
| successor1          = [[Bhishma Narain Singh]]
| office2             = [[List of Lieutenant Governors of Puducherry|Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry]]
| status2             = Additional Charge{{efn|As administrator of Puducherry}}
| term_start2         = 9 April 2009
| term_end2           = 27 July 2009
| 1blankname2         = Chief Minister
| 1namedata2          = [[V. Vaithilingam]]
| predecessor2        = [[Govind Singh Gurjar]]
| successor2          = [[Iqbal Singh (politician, born 1945)|Iqbal Singh]]
| office3             = 17th [[List of governors of Andhra Pradesh|Governor of Andhra Pradesh]]
| term_start3         = 3 January 2003
| term_end3           = 4 November 2004
| 1blankname3         = Chief Minister
| 1namedata3          = [[N. Chandrababu Naidu]]<br>[[Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy]]
| predecessor3        = [[C. Rangarajan]]
| successor3          = [[Sushilkumar Shinde]]
| order4              = 1st
| office4             = Governor of Uttarakhand
| term_start4         = 9 November 2000
| term_end4           = 7 January 2003
| 1blankname4         = Chief Minister
| 1namedata4          = [[Nityanand Swami (politician)|Nityanand Swami]]<br>[[Bhagat Singh Koshyari]]<br>[[N. D. Tiwari]]
| predecessor4        = ''Office Established''
| successor4          = [[Sudarshan Agarwal]]
| office5             = 5th [[Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers|Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers]]
| term_start5         = 19 March 1998
| term_end5           = 13 October 1999
| primeminister5      = [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]]
| predecessor5        = [[M. Arunachalam (Tamil Nadu politician)|M. Arunachalam]]
| successor5          = [[Suresh Prabhu]]
| order6              = 5th
| office6             = Lieutenant Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands
| term_start6         = 14 December 1990
| term_end6           = 18 March 1993
| predecessor6        = [[Ranjit Singh Dyal]]
| successor6          = [[Vakkom Purushothaman]]
| office7             = 11th [[Chief Minister of Punjab (India)|Chief Minister of Punjab]]
| term_start7         = 29 September 1985
| term_end7           = 11 June 1987
| predecessor7        = [[President's rule]]
| successor7          = [[President's rule]]
| office8             = 12th [[Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare|Minister of Agriculture]]
| term_start8         = 18 June 1977
| term_end8           = 28 July 1979
| primeminister8      = [[Morarji Desai]]
| predecessor8        = [[Parkash Singh Badal]]
| successor8          = [[Brahm Prakash (politician)|Brahm Prakash]]
| office9             = Member of Parliament [[Lok Sabha]]
| term_start9         = 1996
| term_end9           = 1999
| predecessor9        = [[Gurcharan Singh Dadhahoor]]
| successor9          = [[Simranjit Singh Mann]]
| constituency9       = [[Sangrur (Lok Sabha constituency)|Sangrur]]
| birth_date          = {{birth date|1925|10|21|df=yes}}
| birth_place         = [[Ateli]], [[Punjab Province (British India)|Punjab]], [[British Raj|British India]]<br>(present-day [[Haryana]], [[India]])
| death_date          = {{death date and age|2017|1|14|1925|10|21|df=yes}}
| death_place         = [[Chandigarh]], [[India]]
| party               = [[Shiromani Akali Dal]]
| children            = 4
| spouse              = [[Surjit Kaur Barnala]]
}}

'''Surjit Singh Barnala''' (21 October 1925 &ndash; 14 January 2017) was an Indian politician who served as the 11th [[List of Chief Ministers of Punjab (India)|chief minister of Punjab]] state from 1985 to 1987. Following that he served as the [[Governors of states of India|governor]] of [[Tamil Nadu]], [[Uttarakhand]], [[Andhra Pradesh]], lieutenant governor of [[Andaman and Nicobar Islands]] and a [[Cabinet of India|Union Minister]] on handling various portfolios.<ref name="Death"/>

==Early life==

Barnala was born in Begpur Village in  [[Ateli]] Tehsil, [[Haryana]]. Born of a well-to-do family (his father was a magistrate), Barnala passed law from [[Lucknow University]] in 1945. In Lucknow, he was involved in the [[Quit India Movement]] of 1942.  Subsequently, he practised law for some years, and became politically active in the late 1960s, rising through the ranks of [[Akali Dal]]. Though, he first stood for election in 1952 but lost by a meagre 4 votes.

==Politics==

Barnala's first ministerial assignment was in 1969 when he has sworn in as education minister in the Justice [[Gurnam Singh]] Government and was instrumental in setting up the [[Guru Nanak Dev University]] in [[Amritsar]].

In 1977 he was elected to the [[Indian Parliament]] and was inducted in the [[Morarji Desai]] Cabinet as the agriculture minister at the time when the ministry included Irrigation Water Resources, Food, Environment and Forests, Consumer Affairs, Power and Chemical And Fertilizers and Rural Development. In 1978, Barnala signed the historic [[Farakka Barrage|Ganga Waters Agreement]] (Farakka Agreement) with [[Bangladesh]].

In 1979, during the turmoil in the national government when PM [[Morarji Desai]] resigned, the then-president [[Neelam Sanjiva Reddy]] toyed with the idea of appointing an interim government with Barnala as prime minister but had to drop the idea at the last moment, fearing horse-trading by a top member of the Cabinet, and Deputy Prime Minister Chaudhary [[Charan Singh]] assumed prime ministership.

Barnala served as [[chief minister]] of [[Punjab, India|Punjab]] from 29 September 1985 until 11 May 1987. Barnala, a member of the Sikh political party [[Shiromani Akali Dal (Longowal)]], served as [[chief minister]] during a period of Sikh militant movement in Punjab. The state had under in Barnala's chief ministership from 1985 to 1987, and after nearly two years in office, [[President's Rule]] was imposed.
  
In 1996, Barnala once again came close to becoming prime minister as in the [[1996 Indian general election]],  with no political party getting a mandate, it was a good time for a [[regional party]] to have its prime minister. Regional parties accounted for about 80 MPs in the [[Lok Sabha]]. The [[Asom Gana Parishad]] of [[Prafulla Kumar Mahanta]] and [[Telugu Desam Party]] of [[Chandra Babu Naidu]], including The Left parties, zeroed on Barnala, but at the last minute Barnala's parent party [[Shiromani Akali Dal]] led by Barnala's supposedly close friend [[Parkash Singh Badal]] without informing Barnala joined hands with the [[Bharatiya Janata Party]] hence Barnala yet again missed being [[Prime Minister of India|Prime Minister]].

In 1997, Barnala was a candidate of the [[Bharatiya Janata Party|BJP]] and its allies in the election of the [[Vice-President of India|vice-president of India]].

In 1998, Barnala was again elected to [[Parliament of India|Parliament]] and became the minister for Chemical & Fertilizers and Food & Consumer Affairs in the Vajpayee Cabinet.

At the time of his death, he was the patron of a four-party alliance Sanja Morcha in  [[Punjab, India|Punjab]]. Like few other anti-Congress leaders of his time, he has spent about three and a half years in jail as a political prisoner, including 11 months in solitary confinement.

== Governorship ==

Since then, Barnala has served as a governor of several states. He first served as governor of Tamil Nadu from 1990 to 1991 for about nine months. Barnala refused to recommend the dismissal of the Tamil Nadu government, and when he was later transferred as [[governor of Bihar]] he chose to resign. He served as the [[lieutenant governor]] of [[Andaman and Nicobar Islands]] from December 1990 to 18 March 1993.

He was the first governor of [[Uttarakhand]] from its creation in 2000 until 2003,<ref>{{Cite news|title=Uttaranchal is born;Governor, CM sworn in|language=en-IN|work=The Rediff|url=https://www.rediff.com/news/2000/nov/08utt.htm|access-date=2021-03-13}}</ref> and governor of [[Andhra Pradesh]] from 2003 to 2004. During this time he also held additional charge of [[Odisha|Orissa]] as governor for some time and was governor of Tamil Nadu until 31 August 2011 during his Tamil Nadu years. He also held additional charge of [[Puducherry (union territory)|Puduchery]] for a few months. He is the second longest-serving governor in Indian history after [[A R Kidwai|Dr. A. R. Kidwai]] and the only governor to have served three terms in the history of [[Tamil Nadu]] State of 300 years.

==Author and painter==

In 1996, Barnala authored a book, ''Story of an Escape,'' about his experiences of living a disguised life in various locations of India. His other book released in December 2007 is titled ''My Other Two Daughters'' and has been transliterated in [[braille]] by [[Kunwar Singh Negi]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.jagran.com/uttarakhand/dehradun-city-11172580.html | title=पद्म भूषण कुंवर सिंह नेगी नहीं रहे | publisher=[[Dainik Jagran]] | date=20 March 2014 | access-date=20 July 2016 |language=hi}}</ref>

Barnala painted landscapes and political portraits, many of which are on display in the official residences he occupied in his various tenures. His paintings have also been sold in various fund raisers.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20071001090709/http://www.hindu.com/2006/04/05/stories/2006040519150400.htm Painting for charity]</ref><ref name="paint">{{cite web|url=http://www.thehindu.com/2005/04/15/stories/2005041514490300.htm |title=A brush with the Governor |author=T.S. Shankar |date=15 April 2005 |work=[[The Hindu]] |access-date=17 January 2017}}{{dead link|date=April 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Surjit Singh Barnala was married to [[Surjit Kaur Barnala]], who is also an active politician. In August 2009, Surjit Kaur become the President of the [[Shiromani Akali Dal (Longowal)]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2009/20090821/punjab.htm#4 |title=Barnala family revives SAD (L) |author=Goyal, Sushil |date=21 August 2009 |work=Tribune India |access-date=17 January 2017}}</ref> The couple had three sons and a daughter. The eldest son, Jasjit Barnala, is not actively involved in politics and is a businessman. Their second son, [[Gaganjit Singh Barnala|Gaganjit]] is a politician. His youngest son, NeilInder, died in a road accident in 1996 and daughter, Amrit, in 2012 of cancer.<ref name="DeathHindu">{{cite web|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/Surjit-Singh-Barnala-passes-away/article17040243.ece |title=Surjit Singh Barnala passes away |work=The Hindu |date=14 January 2017 |access-date=17 January 2017}}</ref> He has 8 grandchildren varying from 37 years to 17 years old.

==Death==

Barnala died at [[Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research|PGIMER hospital, Chandigarh]], following a prolonged illness, on 14 January 2017, aged 91. He was admitted to the hospital on 12 January.<ref name="Death">{{cite web|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/former-punjab-chief-minister-surjit-singh-barnala-passes-away-aged-91/articleshow/56538368.cms |title=Former Punjab Chief Minister Surjit Singh Barnala passes away, aged 91 |work=Times of India |date= 14 January 2017 |access-date=17 January 2017}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-par|in-lwr}}
{{s-bef|before=Teja Singh Swatantra}}
{{s-ttl|title=Member of Parliament<br>for [[Sangrur (Lok Sabha constituency)|Sangrur]] |years=1977 – 1980}}
{{s-aft|after=Gurcharan Singh Nihalsinghwala}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=Gurcharan Singh Dadhahoor}}
{{s-ttl|title=Member of Parliament<br>for [[Sangrur (Lok Sabha constituency)|Sangrur]] |years=1996 – 1999}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Simranjit Singh Mann]]}}
|-
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Parkash Singh Badal]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Minister of Agriculture (India)|Minister of Agriculture]]|years=1977 – 1979}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Rao Birender Singh]]}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[President's rule]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of Chief Ministers of Punjab (India)|Chief Minister of Punjab (India)]]|years=29 September 1985 – 11 June 1987}}
{{s-aft|after=[[President's rule]]}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[P. C. Alexander]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Governor of Tamil Nadu]]|years=24 May 1990 – 15 February 1991}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Bhishma Narain Singh]]}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=Lt Gen Ranjit Singh Dayal (Retd)}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Lt Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands]]|years=December 1990 – March 1993}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Vakkom Purushothaman]]}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[M. Arunachalam (Tamil Nadu politician)|M. Arunachalam]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers]]|years=1998 – 1999}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Suresh Prabhu]]}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[Raghuvansh Prasad Singh]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution]]|years=1998 – 1999}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Shanta Kumar]]}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=None<br>'''State Created'''}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Governor of Uttarakhand]]|years=9 November 2000 – 7 January 2003}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Sudarshan Agarwal]]}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[C. Rangarajan]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Governor of Andhra Pradesh]]|years=3 January 2003 – 4 November 2004}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Sushilkumar Shinde]]}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[P. S. Ramamohan Rao]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Governor of Tamil Nadu]]|years=3 November 2004 – 31 August 2011}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Konijeti Rosaiah]]}}
{{S-end}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Surjit Singh Barnala}}
* [http://www.tn.gov.in/gov_governor.html Biography on the Government of Tamil Nadu website]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071001063925/http://www.hindu.com/mp/2005/11/05/stories/2005110500110100.htm   From Politics to Painting]
* [http://www.barnala.co.in/ssbarnala.htm  CV of Barnala]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110721023240/http://www.tnrajbhavan.gov.in/PressReleases/2010/PR211010.htm Prime Minister, Chief Minister and other Minister great Mr. Barnala  On his 86 bday]
{{Governors of Uttarakhand}}
{{Governor of Andhra Pradesh}}
{{Governors of Tamil Nadu}}
{{Chief Ministers of Punjab (India)}}{{Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers (India)}}{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barnala, Surjit Singh}}
[[Category:1925 births]]
[[Category:2017 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Barnala]]
[[Category:University of Lucknow alumni]]
[[Category:Chief ministers of Punjab, India]]
[[Category:Lieutenant governors of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands]]
[[Category:Governors of Uttarakhand]]
[[Category:Governors of Andhra Pradesh]]
[[Category:Governors of Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Agriculture ministers of India]]
[[Category:Members of the Cabinet of India]]
[[Category:Punjabi Sikhs]]
[[Category:Shiromani Akali Dal politicians]]
[[Category:People from Mahendragarh district]]
[[Category:Punjab, India MLAs 1985–1990]]
[[Category:India MPs 1957–1962]]
[[Category:India MPs 1971–1977]]
[[Category:India MPs 1977–1979]]
[[Category:India MPs 1996–1997]]
[[Category:India MPs 1998–1999]]
[[Category:Lok Sabha members from Punjab, India]]
[[Category:Indian vice-presidential candidates]]
[[Category:Chief ministers from Shiromani Akali Dal]]
[[Category:Indian people imprisoned during the Emergency (India)]]