Former Union Home Minister and dalit stalwart of the Congress party Buta Singh passed away on Saturday morning after a prolonged illness. He was 86 and is survived by two sons and a daughter.
The senior leader Buta Singh was in a coma since October last year when he was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) after he suffered a brain hemorrhage.
Born on March 21, 1934 at Mustafapur village in Jalandhar district of Punjab, Singh was elected to Lok Sabha eight times. A confidante of Nehru-Gandhi family, he held important portfolios in Indian Government as Union Home Minister, Agriculture Minister, Railways Minister, Sports Minister and others besides being the Governor of Bihar and Chairman of National Commission for Scheduled Castes.
He was the chairperson of the National Commission For Scheduled Caste from 2007 to 2010. He also authored a collection of articles on Punjabi literature and Sikh history and wrote a book Punjabi Speaking State: A Critical Analysis.
