He was surprised when Prime Minister Indira Gandhi made him Union home minister after her return to power in 1980. He must have been even more surpri… - Zail Singh

He overwhelmingly won election to the largely ceremonial office. There was much speculation, however, that Gandhi had selected him in order to mollify Sikh extremists in Punjab, who had since mid-1982 become increasingly militant in that state.

He was an impotent bystander in 1984 when government troops stormed the complex of the Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) in Amritsar, the Sikhs’ holiest shrine, in an effort to apprehend militants who had been demanding autonomy for the northwestern Indian state of Punjab.

He was tall, fair complexioned, well built, beautiful turban with white “achkan-[[w:Churidar|churidar”, all-in-one form in his handsome personality. The only other to use the white turban was Dr Radhakrishnan. Dress in all white symbolizes purity. His love for a red-button rose which may be spontaneous reminds us all of Jawaharlal Nehru – Gandhiji’s political mentor who was never seen without a red-button rose.