On the occasion of the birthday of former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh which is celebrated as National Farmers Day (Kisan Diwas), Defense Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday sent his greetings to farmers across the country. Rajnath Singh called the former prime minister a “top farmer leader†who contributed to the development of India and worked his whole life for the empowerment of weaker sections of society.

The Defense Minister tweeted: “Chaudhary Charan Singh ji’s birthday is celebrated as ‘Farmer’s Day’ all over India. Congratulations to all the farmers. Congratulations to the farmers who created crops on the ground and happiness in the country with their hard work. Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi’s government is completely dedicated to the welfare of farmers. “

“I bow to the country’s former prime minister and top farmer leader Chaudhary Charan Singhji on his birthday. He has contributed to the development of India and worked his entire life for empowerment of the weakest layers of society. It has also played an effective role in strengthening democracy in the country, â€added the Union Minister.

Why India celebrates National Farmers Day on December 23

India celebrates National Farmers Day or Kisan Divas on December 23 each year to mark the anniversary of the birth of fifth Prime Minister Choudhary Charan Singh. Choudhary Charan Singh, considered to be a chief farmer, introduced many policies to improve their lives. He was born in Noorpur in Hapur of Uttar Pradesh. He was Prime Minister of India between July 28, 1979 and January 14, 1980. People call him the “peasants’ champion of Indiaâ€. The government had decided in 2001 to mark the anniversary of the birth of Charan Singh under the name of Kisan Diwas.

Charan Singh entered politics as part of the independence movement motivated by Mahatma Gandhi. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of the United Provinces in 1937. He took a keen interest in the laws that harm the village economy. He is recognized for having played an important role in bringing the problems of small and marginal farmers to the fore.

Charan Singh rose to fame in Uttar Pradesh from the 1950s after drafting and securing the passage of groundbreaking land reform laws. It was in 1959 that he first opposed the “socialist and collectivist land policies†of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. He defected from Congress in 1967 and sided with the opposition. He also became the non-congressional chief prime minister of Uttar Pradesh in 1967 and later in 1970.

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