Surjit Singh Barnala (English: Surjit Singh Barnala, born- October 21, 1925; death- January 14, 2017) was a politician and former Chief Minister of Shiromani Akali Dal, a political party active in Punjab. He was the Chief Minister of Punjab from 29 September 1985 to 11 June 1987.
Apart from being the Chief Minister of Punjab, Surjit Singh Barnala was also the Governor of Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. His wife Surjit Kaur Barnala formed Shiromani Akali Dal (Longowal) in 2004, which again merged with the Akali Dal in 2007. Surjit Singh was also the Vice Presidential candidate in 1997. However he lost the election to Krishnakant. He took command of Punjab at a time when militancy was at its peak in Punjab in the eighties. In the summer of 1985, after the Rajiv-Loganwal Pact was signed to restore peace in crisis-hit Punjab, Akali Dal’s moderate leader Surjit Singh Barnala became the Chief Minister. While being the Governor of Tamil Nadu, Surjit Singh Barnala had refused to recommend the dissolution of the DMK government in 1991. Chandrashekhar was the Prime Minister at that time. After the refusal, when Surjit Singh Barnala was transferred to Bihar, he thought it best to resign from the post of Governor. The Chandrashekhar-led central government then dissolved the M. Karunanidhi government by using the ‘otherwise’ provision of Article 356 of the Constitution. Surjit Singh Barnala was also the Lieutenant Governor of Uttarakhand and Andhra Pradesh. He was the Agriculture Minister in the government of Morarji Desai at the Center and the Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers in the government of Atal Bihari Vajpayee.[1]
