Longest-Serving Ministers Of India Whose Legacy Lives On: In Pics
Amit Shah- Home Minister And Cooperation Minister
Under the Modi government, Amit Shah has served as the Home Minister since 2019 with an added responsibility of the Ministry of Cooperation in 2021. Shah was one of the top strategists and a close confidant of Prime Minister Modi and was central to the success of BJP in two general elections in 2014 and 2019 a year ago. He was the Home Minister when Article 370 in Jammu & Kashmir was abrogated and he put forward the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Shah is also soft on counter-terrorist efforts, police reform and enhancement of internal security, and likely to figure prominently in the future of Indian politics as well.
Yogi Adityanath- Chief Minister Of Uttar Pradesh
As the current Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, he has been gaining ground as one of the longest serving Chief Ministers within India since March 2017. Yogi Ji is a five-time lawmaker who served as CM after being elected and whose strong rule and focus on maintenance of law and order as well as quick infrastructure development of the state credentials have become quite popular in the state. He was elected as the first CM of UP who came back into power in a full majority following a complete 5 years term- accomplished in the state history- that too sooner in the political life of the state. During his term of office, UP has received significant investments, expressways, emphasis on religious tourism, crime management policies and religious identity policies. His combination of politics, Hindutva and administrative assertiveness has earned him a status of being one of the most visible national figures in the BJP.
Nitin Gadkari- Minister Of Road Transport And Highways
Nitin Gadkari has been serving as a Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways since 2014 and is among the longest serving tenure of a minister in the Modi government. He spearheaded the massive growth of India national highway network under him and the emphasis on infrastructure development has made him one of the strongest performers in the cabinet. Gadkari is credited with innovating on public infrastructure, such as electric mobility and use of green energy on the roads. Bipartisan praise has been given to him due to his pragmatic approach and also due to his results oriented work.
Late Jawaharlal Nehru- Prime Minister And External Affairs Minister
Jawaharlal Nehru has been recalled as the first and the longest serving Prime Minister of India, he was the Prime Minister of India between the years 1947 and 1964. Besides being the leader of the new born country, Nehru most of the time was the minister of external affairs when he carried out the foreign policy through the policy of non-alignment. This 17 year reign was the foundation of establishing democratic premises of India and India was on the way to industrialization and development of the education sector. Such leadership role of Nehru in the post-independence struggle rendered him into the central role of both political and ideological identity of Indians.
Morarji Desai- Finance And Home Minister
Morarji Desai worked in various important ministries in India such as Finance, Home and finally the Prime Minister. He introduced a number of landmark budgets in his tenure as a Finance Minister (19581963), his style of finance was well regarded as a disciplined one. He was also Home Minister and second-in-command to Indira Gandhi before his demise with Congress. Desai held the Prime Minister position between 1977 and 1979 and is the only Indian PM who also served as CM of Bombay State as well as Finance Minister under 2 different PMs. The overall experience in minister ship spanned more than ten years.
Indira Gandhi- Prime Minister And Various Portfolios
Indira Gandhi, the first and the only female Prime Minister of India served more than 15 years in two successive terms (1966 1977 and 1980 1984). Over the course of her term she held a number of portfolios including those of Defence, Home and Information & Broadcasting portfolios. Being an aggressive leader, she did not back down, and after this, she took Emergency in 1975, won the war against Pakistan in the year 1971, and also introduced Green Revolution to India as well. Her leadership is not only revolutionary but provocative too and she remains one of the most influential personalities in modern Indian politics.
Pranab Mukherjee- Finance, Defence, External Affairs
Pranab Mukherjee served in the government of India for more than forty years and had served in virtually every major cabinet position such as Finance, Defence, External Affairs and Commerce. He tabled various Union Budgets and played a central role in the development of economic and foreign policies in various Congress governments. Being the so-called man of all seasons, he was instrumental in coalition dynamics. Logically, Mukherjee had a profound mastership of parliamentary discipline and constitutional issues and, in 2012, he was elected the 13th President of India, so he was one of the most appreciated statesmen of his epoch.
Atal Bihari Vajpayee- Prime Minister And External Affairs Minister
Atal Bihari Vajpayee has three postings as Prime Minister; the longest being between 1998 and 2004. In his earlier stint as External Affairs Minister (19771979) in the Janata government, he was applauded at the UN because of his eloquent oratory. He was the PM who paved the way for India by testing nuclear weapons, started talks to bring peace to Pakistan and embarked on some of India's major infrastructural projects such as the Golden Quadrilateral. His management style was a blend of diplomacy and vision of development, and this made him bipartisan respect. Vajpayee continues to be an iconic Indian politician who was conferred upon the Bharat Ratna, posthumously.
P. Chidambaram- Minister Of Finance And Home
P. Chidambaram was a Finance Minister in three (1996-98, 2004-08 and 2012-14) tenures of India and Home Minister at a crucial time (2008-2012). His contribution in introducing liberal economic reform actions and internal security after 26/11 Mumbai attacks was too high. Chidambaram is known to be of sharp mind and legal expertise, he has implemented a number of tax reforms; his budgets were said to have investor friendly policies. He was one of the most technocratic minds of the Congress party throughout his close to 15 years of ministerial career.
L.K. Advani- Home Minister And Deputy PM
Lal Krishna Advani was the minister of Home Affairs of India between 1998-2004 and Deputy Prime Minister under Atal Bihari Vajpayee. One of the main architects who helped in the rise of the BJP he was instrumental in values and organizational prowess of the party. He was the Home Minister and presided over the vital internal security operations following the Kargil war and following the attack on the Parliament. His getting handed the post of Information & Broadcasting Minister in the 1970s and his role in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement made him one of the key actors of Indian politics over the decades.
