25 Facts About Baldev Singh

Baldev Singh was an Indian Sikh political leader, he was an Indian independence movement leader and the first Defence Minister of India.

Baldev Singh is addressed often with the title of Sardar, which in Punjabi and Hindi means leader or chief.

Baldev Singh was born on 11 July 1902 in the village of Dumna in a Jat family in the Rupar district of Punjab.

Baldev Singh's father was Sir Indra Singh, a reputed industrialist, and his mother was Nihal Kaur Singh.

Baldev Singh was educated initially at Kainaur and subsequently at the Khalsa College in Amritsar, and began working in his father's firm in the steel industry.

Baldev Singh rose to the position of director of the firm.

Baldev Singh was married to Hardev Kaur of village Jallanpur in Punjab.

Baldev Singh won an election to the Punjab provincial assembly under the Government of India Act 1935 in 1937, as a candidate of the Panthic Party.

Baldev Singh became closely linked with Master Tara Singh and the Shiromani Akali Dal.

Baldev Singh was chosen again to represent the Sikh viewpoint to the Cabinet Mission Plan that had arrived to discuss proposals for Indian political independence.

Baldev Singh reiterated the Sikh view that India should remain a united country with special protections for the rights of religious minorities.

Baldev Singh insisted that should partition become inevitable, the division of the Punjab should happen in a way to offer territorial protection to the Sikhs from Muslim domination.

Baldev Singh became the Defence Member, a post erstwhile held by the British Commander in Chief of the Indian Army.

On 15 August 1947, India became an independent nation and Baldev Singh became India's first Minister of Defence, under the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru.

Baldev Singh was a member of the Constituent Assembly of India.

Patel and Baldev Singh led from the front, and despite a heavy toll, the Army finally re-asserted peace and rule of law all over India and the borders of Punjab and Bengal.

Defence Minister Baldev Singh led the preparations and planning for war in Kashmir, which had broken out with Pakistani tribesmen and some military officers had made an incursion into the state with the aim of annexing it into Pakistan.

Baldev Singh remained a close advisor to Patel on managing the Kashmir conflict and the issues of political integration of India.

In 1952, Baldev Singh was elected to the Parliament of India as a member of the Indian National Congress, in the first democratic elections under the new Constitution of India.

Baldev Singh remained the major political representative of the Sikh concerns and was respected by the Akali Dal.

Baldev Singh died in Delhi after a prolonged illness in 1961.

Baldev Singh was survived by his two sons, Sarjit Singh and Gurdip Singh.

Sarjit Baldev Singh was the Co-operatives minister in the government of Parkash Baldev Singh Badal.

Baldev Singh was married to Raj Mohinder Kaur and is survived by his son TejBal Singh and his daughter Jaspreet Kaur.

Gurdip Baldev Singh was married to Baljit Kaur and had 4 children.