In the first 48 to 72 hours, no one including the Prime Minister turned up at Rashtrapati Bhavan to brief the President as is the convention even now… - Zail Singh

He worked to defeat the forces of communalism and exploitation in Punjab during the period 1962-72. In 1972, he became the Chief Minister of Punjab and ushered industrialization and green revolution. During this period he was close to Indira Gandhi, and in spite of difficulties and embarrassments he contested for Lok Sabha elections, when Indira Gandhi took him as the Home Minister in the central cabinet. In this capacity he handled the Assam agitation by bringing together the warring parties, and also dealt with communal riots in any part of the country with tact and innate sense of fair play without malice.

At one stage, Venkataraman had agreed to become prime minister but he never told me this directly.... Once the news of his being in touch with the dissidents was leaked out, he was offered the presidency and that was the end of it.

Had he as supreme commander resigned at that time, there would have been chaos and Sikhs would have suffered immensely. It was because of his decision that Sikhs could become army heads and PM now.