Budh Singh was a famous freedom fighter belonging to the state of Jammu and Kashmir. He was born on 16 May 1884 at Mirpur, then the district headquarters in the Jammu region. He studied at the Government High School in Mirpur.
Budh can easily be described as the father of political unrest in Jammu and Kashmir. He raised the voice of dissent and revolt against the then-prevailing system much before any other organized political movement began in the region. In the year 1915, when Mahatma Gandhi gave a call for wearing Khadi, he was the first and only known person in Jammu and Kashmir to respond to his call. Since then, his association with the Indian national movement started growing till he held the highest political office of that time in the state.
Budh Singh was appointed as the Deputy Commissioner. When the Akali Dal leader announced launching a movement against the British government, he also joined them. In 1925, he resigned from the post of Deputy Commissioner and got fully involved in the national movement. In 1934, he organized a Kisan Party. In the same year, Sheikh Abdullah also founded the Muslim Congress in Jammu and Kashmir.
Later, in 1938, Budh Singh along with other progressive freedom fighters got in touch with Sheikh Abdullah to persuade them to form a common political party comprising all communities. His main contribution was the conversion of the Muslim Congress into the National Conference Party. He was the Chief leader of the National Conference Party for about 25 years. In 1944, he was elected as President of the National Conference Party.
Budh Singh led a simple saintly life moving from village to village and spreading the message of the freedom movement. He was imprisoned by the colonial regime for varying terms on three occasions. His last imprisonment was done in May 1946 for participating in the Quit Kashmir Movement. He led the life of a hermit and took his last breath on 16 May 1975.