What is the name of the Indian Prime Minister who announced in the Parliament that he would implement the Mandal Commission's recommendations? This announcement triggered a nationwide protest in India.

Correct option is B

The correct answer is (b) V. P. Singh

Explanation:

• On August 7, 1990, Prime Minister Vishwanath Pratap Singh (V. P. Singh) announced in Parliament that his government would implement the recommendations of the Mandal Commission.

• The Mandal Commission (the Second Backward Classes Commission) had recommended 27% reservation in central government jobs and educational institutions for Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

• This decision was a turning point in Indian politics, often referred to as the "Mandal moment," as it shifted the political discourse toward caste-based social justice.

• The announcement led to massive, sometimes violent, nationwide protests, particularly by students from the "General" category who feared the loss of employment opportunities.

• According to NCERT Class 9 Political Science (Democratic Politics-I), this decision was one of the most hotly debated actions in the history of independent India.

Information Booster:

• The Commission was headed by B.P. Mandal and had submitted its report a decade earlier in 1980 to the Morarji Desai government, but it remained in cold storage until V.P. Singh's tenure.

• The legal validity of this reservation was later upheld by the Supreme Court in the landmark Indra Sawhney v. Union of India (1992) case, provided that the total reservation did not exceed 50% and the "creamy layer" was excluded.

Additional Knowledge:

Rajiv Gandhi (Option a)

• He served as Prime Minister from 1984 to 1989. While the Mandal report was available during his tenure, his government did not move to implement it. He later became a vocal critic of the way V.P. Singh implemented the recommendations.

Chaudhary Charan Singh (Option c)

• Known as the champion of Indian peasants, he served a very short term as PM (1979–1980). It was during the preceding Janta Party era that the Mandal Commission was actually established (1979).

Chandrashekhar (Option d)

• He became the Prime Minister immediately after the fall of V.P. Singh's government (which collapsed partly due to the fallout from the Mandal and Mandir issues). He served from November 1990 to June 1991.