The 77-year-old 'Raja of Manda', a sobriquet he earned because of his origins in the principality of Manda in Uttar Pradesh's Fathepur, entered politics in Allahabad during the Nehru era and soon made a name for his rectitude.

He earned the title of 'Mr Clean' despite occupying positions of power, including the Chief Ministership of Uttar Pradesh which he had resigned in the early 80s when his brother was killed by dacoits, and as Minister at the Centre.

Singh resigned as Defence Minister after he was shifted from Finance in 1987 at the height of his campaign against leading industrialists on the issue of tax evasion and later took on the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi by quitting Congress on the issue of Bofors scandal.

Forming Jan Morcha, an amalgam of disgruntled Congressmen, he later became the pivot around which the opposition came together to dethrone Congress to give the first non-Congress coalition at the Centre, supported by the Left parties and the BJP from outside.

Singh, once considered very close to Rajiv Gandhi, quit his government in 1987 on the issue of corruption in public life.

After being expelled from Congress, he launched 'Jan Morcha', was elected to Lok Sabha from Allahabad and then became a rallying point for the National Front comprising Janata Dal, Telugu Desam, Asom Gana Parishad, DMK and Congress(S). The Jan Morcha was merged with the Janata Dal before the 1989 general elections.

In May 1996, after the defeat of Congress in the Lok Sabha elections, Singh was the guiding spirit behind the formation of the United Front and was the first choice for Prime Ministership.

But he declined the offer. After the government of H D Deve Gowda fell in April 1997, he again played an important role from his hospital bed along with the late Left veteran Harkishan Singh Surjeet in maintaining the UF unity and making Inder Kumar Gujral the Prime Minister.

Away from politics, Singh had always taken a keen interest in poetry and painting and had also held exhibitions of his artwork.

He has penned a number of poems and his first anthology of poems 'Ek Tukda Dharti, Ek Tukda Asman' was published some time back. Perhaps the greatest rallying point for 'anti- Congressism' in the country after Jaiprakash Narayan, Singh, however, took positions nearer to that of Congress in late years, particularly after BJP came to power at the Centre in 1998.

Born in Allahabad on June 25, 1931, Singh studied science with aspirations of becoming a nuclear scientist and came out with flying colours in the B.Sc. examinations in Ferguson College, Pune.

But he finally gave pursuing M.Sc. from Allahabad University and was lured into politics. He made his debut as a Congress legislator in 1969 winning the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections and remained a member of the House till 1971, before being elected for the first time to Lok Sabha.

Singh was inducted into Indira Gandhi's Council of Ministers as a Deputy Minister of Commerce. After that, there was no looking back for him.

In 1980 when Indira Gandhi returned to power, Singh was made Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. His two-year stint at the helm of India's largest state ended dramatically when he quit in the wake of the anti-dacoit operations launched by his government.

But soon he was made Commerce Minister in Gandhi's cabinet. As Finance Minister in Rajiv Gandhi's government, Singh gained popularity for ordering searches and raids against industrial houses, hiring an American detective agency Fairfax for investigating accounts of Non Resident Indians and for taking up the Bofors pay-offs case.

Chandrababu condoles V P Singh's death

TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu condoled the death of former prime minister V P Singh and described him as a pioneer in ensuring due share to people from backward communities in political and administration fields.

Expressing grief over Singh's death, the former Andhra Pradesh chief minister said his demise was a "great loss for the nation and an extreme personal loss for him".

Recalling his association with the former Prime Minister, Naidu said on several occasions Singh gave meaningful and constructive advice during the formation of non-Congress governments at the Centre.

"I express my heart felt condolences to Singh's family members and he was a pioneer in ensuring due share to backward classes in the fields of politics and administration," Naidu.

State announces 7-day mourning

The government announced a seven-day state mourning as a mark of respect to former Prime Minister V P Singh.

77-year old Singh died here today after battling blood cancer for over 17 years and renal failure.