Singh, Vishwanath Pratap

Singh, Vishwanath Pratap (vishwän'ät prä'täp sing) [key], 1931–, Indian politician and prime minister (1989–90). As finance minister under Rajiv Gandhi (1984–87) he pursued policies of economic liberalization. Expelled from Gandhi's Congress faction in 1989, he formed an anti-Congress coalition, the Janata Dal. He became prime minister in a minority government when he deprived the Congress of a majority in the election (1989). Inherently unstable, his government was marked by factionalism, and he was forced to resign in 1990.