Kalyan Singh, a wrestler and teacher who became BJP’s launch pad

Before becoming the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister in 1991, Kalyan Singh was a small-time wrestler in his hometown, Aligarh, and also worked as a teacher in the state.

Construction of a Ram Mandir in Ayodhya has been central to the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) emergence and rise as the largest political organisation. And, Kalyan Singh was at the nucleus of the Ram Mandir campaign that saw the demolition of the Mughal-era Babri Masjid in 1992. Kalyan Singh was the Uttar Pradesh chief minister back then. Before joining politics, Kalyan Singh was a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) volunteer in Aligarh, his hometown, where he was a small-time wrestler. After completing his education, Kalyan Singh got the job as a teacher in Uttar Pradesh.