Rajnath Singh

Early political career

Entry into politics

Singh had been associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh since 1964, at the age of 13 and remained connected with the organisation. He also became Shakha Karyavah (General Secretary) of Mirzapur in the year 1972. After 2 years in the year 1974, he entered politics. Between 1969 and 1971 he was the organizational secretary of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (the student wing of the RSS) in Gorakhpur. He became the general secretary of the RSS's Mirzapur branch in 1972. In 1974, he was appointed secretary for the Mirzapur unit of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, predecessor of Bharatiya Janata Party. In 1975, aged 24, Singh was appointed District President of the Jana Sangh.

JP Movement and Emergency

In the 1970s, Singh was influenced by the JP Movement of Jayaprakash Narayan. He was also arrested in the year 1975 during the state of National Emergency for associating with JP Movement and was detained for a time period of 2 years.

Entry into electoral politics

After being released from jail, Singh joined the Janata Party founded by Jayprakash Narayan and contested legislative assembly elections from Mirzapur in 1977. He successfully fought the election and was elected as a Member of Legislative Assembly from Mirzapur.

Rise within BJP

At that time he gained the popularity in state politics and then joined BJP in the year 1980 and was one of the initial members of the Party. He became the State President of the BJP youth wing in 1984, the National general secretary in 1986 and the National President in 1988. He was also elected into the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council.

Early ministerial roles

Education Minister (1991–1992)

In 1991, when the Bharatiya Janata Party formed its first government in Uttar Pradesh under chief minister Kalyan Singh, he was appointed education minister of Uttar Pradesh. He held the education portfolio for a tenure of two years. Major highlights of his tenure as education minister included the controversial Anti-Copying Act, 1992, which made copying a non-bailable offence, modernising science texts, and incorporating vedic mathematics into the curriculum.

Anti-Copying Act, 1992

Singh helped push the controversial Anti-Copying Act in response to perceived widespread cheating in schools and colleges in Uttar Pradesh. when Mulayam Singh Yadav became the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, heading Bahujan Samaj Party in the year 1993 he repealed the Act.

Modernising the education system

In 1991, Singh led a partial rewrite of history textbooks used in government schools and introduced vedic mathematics into the curriculum. Seen as loyal to the RSS, a Hindu nationalist organisation, Singh's changes to state education policy were widely perceived to have been motivated by his RSS affiliation and ideological kinship with the organisation's leadership. As minister, he also focused on promoting the usage of Indian languages instead of English in courses and instruction. At the same time, he stated his appreciation for knowledge of modern languages.

Union Transport Minister (1999–2000)

In April 1994, he was elected into the Rajya Sabha (Upper House of the Parliament) and became involved with the Advisory Committee on Industry (1994–96), Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Agriculture, Business Advisory Committee, House Committee and the Committee on Human Resource Development. On 25 March 1997, he became the President of the BJP's Uttar Pradesh unit and in 1999 became the Union Cabinet Minister for Surface Transport.

Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh (2000–02)

In 2000, he became chief minister of Uttar Pradesh and was twice elected as MLA from Haidergarh in 2001 and 2002. He was preceded by Ram Prakash Gupta and succeeded by Mayawati after 56 days of President's rule. He was also the last chief minister of Undivided U.P. Contributing to his appointment as state minister were his prior experience as education minister and his grassroots support from his involvement in the anti-corruption JP Movement in the 1970s. At that time there also many leaders in BJP from Uttar Pradesh, but very few had a strong support at the ground level. He was at that time very much close to Atal Bihari Vajpayee and had a very clean image among the people of the State. He also popular among Rajputs (Thakur), a significant community in the state, like Bhairon Singh Shekhawat. Even unlike, L. K. Advani and Kalyan Singh, he was not a leader of Firebrand Hindutva ideology and was a very soft-spoken person.

Notable reforms as chief minister

As chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, he accused the Samajwadi Party of favouring certain communities for jobs. Singh had said that discrimination in job opportunities should end in the state. He tried to rationalise the reservation structure in government jobs by introducing the most Backward Classes among the OBC and SC, so that the reservation system could favour those at the bottom of society.

When Singh took office as chief minister, Uttar Pradesh had the highest state crime rate in India. Singh thus made establishing law and order a key part of his policy. However, after the 2002 Gujarat riots a large portion of the Indian public saw the BJP as complicit in the riots, which undermined the image of Singh's party and contributed to the loss of his position.

On 7 February 2001, Singh inaugurated the DND Flyway which connects Delhi to Noida.

Resignation

In the year 2002, Singh resigned from the position of chief minister after a 2-year tenure because at that time, the state BJP Government held only a minority government. After his resignation, the state was under President's rule for 56 days, until the 14th Legislative Assembly appointed Mayawati to the position of chief minister for the 3rd time.

Rise in national politics

Union Agriculture Minister (2003–04)

In 2003, Singh was appointed as the Minister of Agriculture and subsequently for Food Processing in the NDA Government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and was faced with the difficult task of maintaining one of the most volatile areas of India's economy. During this period he initiated a few epoch-making projects including the Kisan Call Centre and Farm Income Insurance Scheme. He brought down interest rates on Agriculture loans and also established Farmer Commission and initiated Farms Income Insurance Scheme.

National President of the BJP

First time (2005–2009)

After the BJP lost power in the 2004 general elections, it was forced to sit in the Opposition. After the resignation of prominent figure Lal Krishna Advani due to controversial statements over Muhammad Ali Jinnah, and the murder of strategist Pramod Mahajan, Singh sought to rebuild the party by focusing on the most basic Hindutva ideologies. He announced his position of "no compromise" in relation to the building of a Ram Temple in Ayodhya at any cost and commended the rule of Vajpayee as Prime Minister, pointing towards all the developments the NDA made for the ordinary people of India. He also criticised the role of the English language in India, claiming that most of Indian population is unable to participate in Indian economy and cultural discourse due to extreme preferences shown to English at the expense of native languages. Singh also suspended Jaswant Singh from the party for praising Jinnah and disrespecting the policies of Jawaharlal Nehru, which also led to a wave of controversies as Jaswant Singh was a very senior leader of the party. Singh had held many positions for the RSS and the BJP, including serving as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and the President of the BJP's youth wing. He advocated a return to a Hindutva platform. Singh resigned after the NDA lost the 2009 Indian general election.

He became the BJP National President on 31 December 2005, a post he held till 19 December 2009. In May 2009, he was elected MP from Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh.

Second time (2013–2014)

On 24 January 2013, following the resignation of Nitin Gadkari due to corruption charges, Singh was re-elected as the BJP's National President.

Singh was on record shortly after the law Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code was re-instated in 2013, claiming that his party is "unambiguously" in favour of the law, also claiming that "We will state (at an all-party meeting if it is called) that we support Section 377 because we believe that homosexuality is an unnatural act and cannot be supported." Singh was elected president for his second term after Gadkari stepped down in 2013. Singh played a large role in the BJP's campaign for the 2014 Indian general election, including declaring Narendra Modi the party's Prime Ministerial candidate despite opposition from within the BJP. After the party's landslide victory, Singh resigned the party presidency to assume the position of Home Minister.

He contested the 2014 Lok Sabha elections from Lucknow constituency and was subsequently elected as a Member of the Parliament.

Union Home Minister (2014–19)

Rajnath Singh was appointed the Union Minister of Home Affairs in the Narendra Modi government and was sworn in on 26 May 2014. At the time he was the former president of the party and was the one who named Narendra Modi as the prime ministerial candidate for the party. After the win of the party in 2014 Lok Sabha election he took over the position from Sushilkumar Shinde as the Minister of Home Affairs from the year 2014–2019. He has also been the current Deputy Leader of Lok Sabha since 2019.

JNU incident

Singh triggered controversy amid the protests over the police action at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), on 14 February 2016, claiming that the "JNU incident" was supported by Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed. He gave the statement in the backdrop of anti-national speeches in JNU related to the hanging anniversary of Kashmiri Separist Maqbool Bhat and Afzal Guru on 9 February 2016. After the statement there were protests against Singh. After the arrests of Umar Khalid and Kanhaiya Kumar, he met with many leaders from the left.

Infiltration

In May 2016, he claimed that infiltration from Pakistan declined by 52% in a period of two years.

Bharat Ke Veer App

On 9 April 2017, he launched Bharat Ke Veer web portal and application with Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar. This was an initiative taken by him for the welfare of martyrs' family. Bharat Ke Veer is a fund-raising initiative by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India on behalf of members of the Indian paramilitary forces. Singh himself praised the app and was its first donor. An official anthem was launched on 20 January 2018 by him along with film star Akshay Kumar, and other ministers Kiren Rijiju and Hansraj Ahir.

Doklam matter

Doklam is a disputed territory between Bhutan and China. In June 2017, in this disputed territory, China attempted to construct a road. The Indian Army stepped-in on behalf of Bhutan resulting in a border standoff with the People's Liberation Army of China. The Doklam area is also strategically important for India due to its proximity with the Siliguri Corridor. As home minister, Singh co-chaired an all-party meeting related to the standoff on 15 July 2017. On 21 August 2017, speaking to the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Rajnath Singh stated that India wanted peace with its neghbours but was ready to fight for its territory; he also said that "There will be a solution soon and I am sure China will make a positive move." The standoff ended a week later.

Commissioning of Bastariya Battalion

On 21 May 2018, he commissioned Bastariya Battalion. As Union Home Minister, Rajnath Singh attended the passing out parade of 241 Bastariya Battalion of CRPF in Ambikapur, Chhattisgarh on 21 May 2018.

Union Defence Minister (2019–present)

Singh became the defence minister of India on 31 May 2019. Among the challenges that the Defence Minister is expected to address are the ever-increasing requirements of India's forces, including increased budgetary requirements, especially in the light of an unstable neighbourhood. As Union Defence Minister, Singh has indicated a subtle shift in India's strategic vision; this includes a focus on decreasing the import of weapons and making the nation an arms exporter with an arms industry. He has supported various reforms including those for greater representiation of women in the defence services.

Rafale fighter plane

Dassault Rafale is a fighter plane of French origin whose deal was signed by then Minister of Defence, Manohar Parrikar, in 2016 to increase the strength of the Indian Air Force. The Government of India had signed to buy 126 fighter jets costing $30 billion.

The planes were received during Rajnath Singh's tenure as the defence minister. Though a controversial issue, Singh completed the deal after becoming defence minister; the Indian Air Force received its first Dassault Rafale on 8 October 2019 and he personally went to France to receive it. The first fleet of 5 fighter jets landed at Ambala Air Force Station in July 2020. Singh said that "Those wanting to threaten India's territorial integrity should be worried about its new capability." The further procurement of 26 more Rafales (22 single-seater and 4 double-seater) for the Indian Navy was signed on 28 April 2025.

Indo-China border tension

Starting May 2020, there was tension between the security forces of India and China over the border region of Ladakh. As Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh said that there is a bilateral mechanism for such a situation and that third party mediation was not required. He also compared the situation to the 2017 Doklam standoff, saying that despite its seriousness at the time, the issue was resolved.

After the martyrdom of 20 Indian soldiers on 15–16 June 2020 in Galwan Valley, Singh met with the Indian soldiers in eastern Ladakh. He met with the CDS General Bipin Rawat, CNS Admiral Karambir Singh and COAS General Manoj Mukund Naravane to discuss the situation. On 15 July, Singh met with officials of the Indian Army and visited Ladakh, and forward areas of Jammu and Kashmir. Singh said that he can not guarantee to what extent the tension would go on. Singh and his Chinese counterpart General Wei Fenghe held a talk, on 4 September in Moscow, on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting. General Wei Fenghe said that India was behind the border friction. Singh said that talks must continue and status quo must be restored. Throughout the tensions, multiple talks took place at multiple levels.

On 28 April 2023, Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu met with Rajnath Singh as part of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation defence ministers' meeting in New Delhi, making it the first visit to India by a Chinese Defence Minister since the 2020 border skirmishes. Disengagement was completed by December 2024.

On 26 June 2025, Singh visited China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation defence ministers' meeting in Qingdao, marking the first visit by a senior Indian minister to China since the 2020 border skirmishes and the first by an Indian Defence Minister in 12 years. During the meeting, Singh refused to sign the joint declaration, citing the document's failure to condemn the 2025 Pahalgam attack in Kashmir, which claimed 26 lives, and lack of alignment with India's stance against terrorism.

Russia

Rajnath Singh has on multiple occasions supported dialogue and diplomacy as a way towards easing tensions stemming from the Russo-Ukrainian war. He has expressed concern about the humanitarian situation and nuclear posturing.

International military exercises known as Vostok 2022 were launched in Russia's Far East in September 2022, with countries including Russia, India and China taking part in it. On 28 April 2023, Singh met with Russian Minister of Defence Sergei Shoigu.

On 10 December 2024, Singh held talks with Russian Defence Minister Andrey Belousov. Singh reaffirmed India's commitment to strengthening defence ties with Russia.

In a lecture in 2025, as a takeaway from the war, the defence minister stated "In the Ukraine-Russia conflict, drones have virtually emerged as a new arm, if not a transformative science." In 2026, again with reference to the war and drones he stated, "From the drone's molds to its software, engines, and batteries, everything must be manufactured in India."

Agnipath Scheme

The Defence Ministry introduced a "transformative" military recruitment scheme called Agnipath. The recruitment was pursued for all the three forces, and the selected 46,000 candidates were termed as "Agniveers". The scheme faced opposition and various protests were held. Railway property was set on fire and losses were suffered in Bihar, Telangana and West Bengal; the opposition also called it an RSS agenda. The Ministry said it was a long pending reform in the defence field to lower the average age of the military. The Delhi High Court stated that it finds no reason to interfere in the process and that the government has brought in the scheme "in national interest". Singh has called the scheme "successful".

2025 India-Pakistan Conflict

The India-Pakistan conflict in 2025 took place between 7–10 May. On 7 May 2025, Rajnath Singh said that India had utilized its "right to respond" by attacking terror infrastructure with "precision, precaution and compassion"; Singh was addressing the Raising Day event of Border Roads Organisation. He stated, "we have followed the ideals of Lord Hanuman. Just as he said during the destruction of Ashok Vatika — 'I only struck those who attacked me' — we too have targeted only those who killed our innocent people." The next day, at the National Quality Conclave, Singh said that "Operation Sindoor was successfully executed because our formidable and professionally-trained armed forces were equipped with high-quality equipment." On 11 May, at the inauguration of a BrahMos centre, Singh said that "Operation Sindoor was not just a military action, but a symbol of India's political, social and strategic willpower." He connected it to India's earlier responses to terrorism, the 2016 Indian Line of Control strike following the Uri attack, and the 2019 Balakot airstrike following the Pulwama attack. On 16 May, at Bhuj Air Force Station, he said that "India’s fight against terrorism is not just a matter of security, it has now become a part of the national defence doctrine, and we will root out this hybrid and proxy warfare". He said Operation Sindoor was not over and could restart. On 20 June, while interacting with soldiers in Udhampur, he reiterated, "Operation Sindoor is not over yet. This is just a pause. I want to tell this to my neighbouring country."

In July 2025, Rajnath Singh, addressing the Indian parliament, rejected US President Donald Trump's claim that the United States had mediated the ceasefire between India and Pakistan in May, stating that India had not acted under any external pressure. Singh clarified that military operations, launched in response to the 2025 Pahalgam attack, ceased only after all political and military objectives were achieved. He further stated that the decision to halt "Operation Sindoor" followed a request from Pakistan's Director General of Military Operations, who sought relief from continued hostilities. Trump has taken credit for the ceasefire on over 40 different occasions.

In November 2025, he said that "tomorrow Sindh may return to India again."

RAKSHA

On 3 September 2026, Singh released RAKSHA, a ten year framework for defence diplomacy.

Positions and offices

Offices held

Positions held

Personal life

He married Savitri Singh on 5 June 1971, with whom he has two sons and a daughter. His son Pankaj Singh is a politician and Member of the Legislative Assembly from Noida, Uttar Pradesh from BJP. Singh is a devout Hindu and a religious man and is known for soft-spoken behaviour.