Sitaram Kesri
| Sitaram Kesri | |
|---|---|
| President of the Indian National Congress | |
|
In office September 1996 – 14 March 1998 |
|
| Preceded by | P. V. Narasimha Rao |
| Succeeded by | Sonia Gandhi |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1916 British India |
| Died | 24 October 2000 (aged 83–84) New Delhi, India |
| Political party | Indian National Congress |
| Residence | Danapur |
| Religion | Hinduism |
Sitaram Kesri (1916 – 24 October 2000) was an Indian politician and parliamentarian. He became a union minister and served as President of the Indian National Congress from 1996 to 1998.
Kesri became politically active at the age of 13, with his involvement in the Indian independence movement. Kesri was arrested for his political activities several times between 1930 and 1942. He was elected president of the Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee in 1973 and treasurer of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in 1980.
Kesri was elected to the Lok Sabha from the Katihar Lok Sabha Constituency in 1967 as a candidate of Congress party.He represented Bihar in the Rajya Sabha for five terms between July 1971 and April 2000, being reelected on April 1974, July 1980, April 1988, and April 1994. He was Union Minister during the regimes of Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and P.V. Narasimha Rao as Prime Minister of India.
Kesri served as treasurer of the Congress party for more than a decade. In addition, he was elected unanimously as President of the Congress Parliamentary Party on 3 January 1997. After P.V. Narasimha Rao stepped down as president of the Congress in September 1996, Kesri was appointed as the new president of the party.
The following years were difficult for the Congress Party. Kesri's lack of popular support among the masses caused further damage to the party. Kesri's most controversial act was the sudden withdrawal of support to H.D. Deva Gowda's United Front government, which led to the fall of the government in April 1997. However, a compromise was reached and the United Front elected I.K. Gujral as the subsequent new leader with continued support from the Congress party.
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