Rajesh Pilot

Rajeshwar Prasad Singh Bidhuri was born in Baidpura Village of now Greater Noida, He belonged to the Bidhuri Clan or gotra of Gurjar caste. He was respected from an early age as he was admitted to Indian Air Force, which was an outstanding achievement in rural India. Rajeshwar Prasad, was commissioned in the General Duties (Pilot) branch of the Indian Air Force as a pilot officer on 29 October 1966.[1] He was promoted to flying officer on 29 October 1967 and to flight lieutenant on 29 October 1971.[2][3] He fought in the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971 as a bomber pilot,[4] flying a modified de Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou.[5] He was promoted to squadron leader on 29 October 1977.[6] On 8 August 1978, he was seconded to the Ministry of Agriculture.[7]

In late 1979, Prasad resigned his commission while posted in Jaisalmer to join politics, under the influence of his friend Rajiv Gandhi, who later became the Prime Minister of India. He contested the 1980 Lok Sabha elections as an INC candidate from Bharatpur, changing his surname to Pilot at the same time.[4]

Pilot emerged as a prominent Gurjar leader in India.[8] In his first election as a candidate, Pilot defeated the former queen of Bharatpur.

On an official visit to the Netherlands in 1988, his Dutch counterpart, learning Pilot was a former IAF officer, arranged for him to fly a RNLAF F-16; the IAF subsequently invited Pilot to test a new Mig-29 following his return to India.[5]

He sent Chandraswami to prison when he was the Internal Security Minister. Later, he lost the election for the post of Congress president to Sitaram Kesri, but remained in the first line of Congress leaders.

Rajesh Pilot died on 11 June 2000 in a car accident near Jaipur.[9][10]

India Post has issued a commemorative postage stamps of Rs. 5.00 on 11 June 2008.

In New Delhi and Gurgaon, a road has been named in his honour. In Rewari a roundabout has been named after him in his honour.