Chaudhary Charan Singh was a leader who was ahead of his time

Chaudhary Sahab famously said, “A nation can prosper only when its rural sector is upgraded, and its purchasing power is high.” Often described as the “champion of India’s peasants”, he advocated an economic model that can be best described as agrarian capitalism from below — a system in which rural prosperity drives the nation’s economy rather than relying solely on top-down policies that favour large industries or urban-centric growth. For him, India’s growth began not in its factories but in its small enterprises and farms.

For Chaudhary Sahab, empowerment also meant decentralisation. He envisioned a “rural democracy” where economic and social autonomy allowed each farming family to thrive independently. This idea resonates strongly with another principle, which emphasises that effective governance and economic decision-making happen best at local levels. In contrast to the centralised, large-scale industrial plans that marked early Indian development models, his plans centred on decentralised means of production and grassroots empowerment.

Today, policies like Minimum Support Price (MSP) and land ownership rights are taken for granted, but these were revolutionary concepts when he championed them. The Consolidation of Holdings Act of 1953 and the Uttar Pradesh Zamindari and Land Reforms Act, 1952, established his credentials as an honest votary for the landless and the disempowered. Chaudhary Sahab’s insistence on fair procurement prices during the droughts in the late 1960s set a precedent for MSP. In 1938, he introduced the Agricultural Produce Marketing Bill in the United Provinces Assembly — it was passed in 1964, creating an agri-market infrastructure.

Chaudhary Sahab understood that without robust support systems, the agrarian sector could neither sustain itself nor support the broader economy. To this end, he spearheaded the creation of institutions that would anchor rural development for decades to come. He elevated the Rural Development Department to a Ministry. The establishment of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) provided critical financial lifelines to rural India.

Despite his unparalleled contributions to India’s sociopolitical and economic discourse, Chaudhary Sahab’s legacy is often limited to simplistic narratives. There is a notion that he was a leader of the Jats. However, during his lifetime, he firmly rejected such labels. Deeply influenced by Arya Samaj and Gandhian ideals, he rejected caste as a determinant of identity or worth. Like Babasaheb Ambedkar, he saw caste as a barrier to national progress.

In 1954, he proposed to Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru a radical policy incentivising inter-caste marriages for legislators and civil servants. Although the idea faced resistance, it reflected his progressive outlook and commitment to rectifying historical injustices. His pitch for quotas in government jobs for dependents of agriculturists and tillers demonstrated his desire to upend the social status quo. This idea ultimately morphed into the Mandal Commission instituted during the Janata Party government. For him, political power was only a means to deliver on the promise of equality enshrined in the Constitution. This is similar to what Ambedkar said in the Annihilation of Caste, “Can you have economic reform without first bringing the reform of the social order?”

Chaudhary Sahab was known for his fiscal discipline and his uncompromising stance on corruption. He believed corruption corroded public trust and was resolute in enforcing accountability across government sectors. Today’s initiatives toward transparency, direct benefit transfers, and grassroots governance owe much to his vision for an ethical and accountable public administration.

On a personal note, my grandfather was a figure of remarkable simplicity and integrity. I recall stories of him waking up before dawn to read and write, pausing only for his simple meals, and later meeting and taking calls from people across India. He dressed simply and lived frugally. Yet, his ideas were forward-looking. He emphasised sustainable development long before sustainability became a global concern and placed a value on artisans, small firms and agro-industry — today, the MSME and the start-up ecosystem and schemes like MUDRA and PM Vishwakarma seek to build on that legacy.

As the world grows increasingly interconnected, with economic models shifting and new environmental and social challenges emerging, Chaudhary Sahab’s philosophy seems timeless. We owe it to leaders like him to ensure that India’s development is inclusive and compassionate. His vision reminds us that a truly developed India can emerge only with social, political and economic equity and justice.

The writer is Minister of State (I/C), Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, and Minister of State, Education. Views are personal