Giani Zail Singh

Giani Zail Singh was the seventh President of India. He is the first Sikh and the first Punjabi to be elected to this highest executive office under the constitution. He belongs to the weaker section of the society. Giani Zail Singh’s election to this great office is a vindication of the Government’s stand that there is absolutely no discrimination against the minorities in India.

Giani Zail Singh hails from the former princely Faridkot State. His real name was Jarnail Singh. He was born in a mud-house on May 5, 1916. But his private life never stood in the way of his public life. Although he did not receive much of formal education, yet he is a man of real learning. He received his education in the Open University of the world. He was a professional reader of the Holy Granth. This “earned him the name “Giani-meaning ‘learned one’.

Giani Zail Singh launched the Praja Mandal Movement in the state and was its founder President. For his role in Praja Mandal Movement, he was sentenced to five years rigorous imprisonment. In 1956, he ­started the National Flag movement in Faridkot state.

Giani Zail Singh established links with Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru. After independence he served the motherland in different capacities. From 1948 to 1952, he served as a minister in the Pepsu Government. He entered the Punjab Assembly in 1962. As a Chief Minister of the Punjab State, he did a lot for this border state. In the last election to the Lok Sabha, he won the hotly contested seat of Hoshiarpur and was appointed the Union Home Minister. With his varied experience and rich talents, he proved a very successful organiser and adminis­trator. The election for the President was held on July 12, 1982. His election to this august office is a rich tribute to his extraordinary capabilities, his sincere efforts in the freedom move­ment and an unstinted loyalty to his work and to his party. In his opening address to the people of India, he took a solemn pledge that he would do his best to maintain the glorious traditions of his new office and would leave no stone unturned in discharging his duties.

Giani Zail Singh is every inch a nationalist. He is secular to the ­backbone. He is a true democrat. He is a selfless worker. He has sterling qualities of head and heart in him. He is a bold and coura­geous man who does not hesitate from calling a spade a spade. He is thoroughly rational and perfectly mature in his approach towards the various national and international problems. He is a man with a cool head, a firm mind and a keen intellect. He is holding the high office of the President with all grace and dignity.

Giani Zail Singh is fast gaining a position of popularity with the ­people of India. With simple living and high thinking as his principle in life, he is a great source of inspiration to millions of the poor masses of India who continue to live below the poverty line even today. His great rise from a humble cottage to the highest office in his country speaks tons of his ability, integrity and amiability