For someone who entered the Uttar Pradesh legislative assembly as a 26-year-old young political worker in 1977, Rajnath Singh has come a long way. Few individuals in Indian political history can match his portfolio of achievements — chief minister of India’s largest state, a Union Cabinet minister for agriculture, the president of the Bharatiya Janata Party who was the organisation’s incharge during the spectacular 2014 win, the Union home minister, and now the Union defence minister.
For the former physics lecturer and a man steeped in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, this range of responsibilities has meant a grasp over issues ranging from the local to national. But as defence minister incharge of India’s armed forces and external security, Singh has faced among his toughest challenges this year with the standoff at the Line of Actual Control due to China’s aggression. He will speak on defining national security in the new era at the HT Leadership Summit this year.