Arjun Singh (5 November 1930 – 4 March 2011) was an Indian politician from the Indian National Congress, who served twice as the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh in the 1980s. He also served twice as the Union Minister of Human Resource Development, in the Manmohan Singh and P. V. Narasimha Rao ministries.

The surrender of dacoit Phoolan Devi in 1983 was a significant event during his tenure as Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, reflecting efforts by his government to restore law and order, particularly in the Chambal region, while also dealing with the underlying socio-economic issues.

He is widely remembered for introducing 27% reservation for Other Backward Classes in educational institutions including All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), National Institutes of Technology (NITs), Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), Indian Institute of Science (IISc), with the passage of Ninety-third Constitutional Amendment and Central Educational Institutions(CEIs) (Reservation in Admission) Act, 2006. This led to anti-reservation protests against this act. The protests ended after the Supreme Court of India upheld the reservations in higher education.

Early life

Arjun Singh was born on 5 November 1930 into a Rajput family as the son of Shiv Bahadur Singh, a jagirdar and the 26th Rao of Churhat thikana, and an INC politician. He received his Bachelor of Laws from Rewa Darbar College, where he was the student union president in 1953.

Career

thumb|Arjun Singh addressing inaugural function of National Science Centre, New Delhi on 9 January 1992

Arjun Singh was first elected to the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly in 1957 from Majholi as an independent candidate. He joined the Indian National Congress in 1960. He was re-elected from Majholi in 1962 and became a minister in the INC government of Dwarka Prasad Mishra.

In 1967, he lost the election from Churhat due to a fallout with the then chief minister Dwarka Prasad Mishra. However, he won a bypoll the same year from Umaria. He was elected from Sidhi in 1972 and became a minister in the INC government of Prakash Chandra Sethi.

He led the INC to victory in 1985, yet again winning from Churhat, but was forced to resign as Chief Minister after just one day due to differences with Sriniwas Tiwari. Motilal Vora succeeded him as Chief Minister.

In April 2008, a 5-member constitutional bench of the Supreme Court, in the Ashoka Kumar Thakur v. Union of India case, upheld the Ninety-third Constitutional Amendment, and reinstated the Act in a judgement delivered by Chief Justice India K. G. Balakrishnan, with Justices Arijit Pasayat, C K Thakker, R V Raveendran and Dalveer Bhandari. OBC reservations were implemented in all central universities and institutions, but the government was required to exclude the creamy layer from the OBC, but not SC/ST.

Controversies

Bhopal Incident

Arjun Singh was the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh when the deadly gas leak from the Union Carbide factory occurred. It is widely alleged that on the fateful night between 2 and 3 December 1984, when the gas leak occurred, Arjun Singh fled to his Kerwa Dam Palace (outside Bhopal) to save himself from deadly effects of leaked gas and was not available to manage the crisis or lead the administration.

Subsequently, the Arjun Singh government's mishandling was criticised by the court in the verdict on the Bhopal disaster as pronounced by the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Bhopal on 7 June 2010. The media raised serious questions about his role in the release of Warren Anderson.

In particular, the pilot of the aircraft in which Warren Anderson flew out of India after the gas leak, has recorded that the final sanction to permit the flight came from Arjun Singh's office.

Churhat Lottery case and Kerwa Dam palace

While Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Singh was involved in the scandal known as the Churhat Lottery case. The Churhat Children Welfare Society was floated in 1982 by relatives of Singh, and permitted to raise funds via lottery, and also given tax relief as a charity. However, there were widespread allegations that substantial sums of money were siphoned off from donations and used to construct the lavish Kerwa Dam Palace near Bhopal. The donations to the society included a Rs 150,000 donation from Union Carbide,

However, a one-judge commission investigating the scandal gave a clean chit to Arjun Singh. The case was re-opened however, after the Jain Hawala case, and Singh was asked to submit fresh re-estimates of the palace cost.

In court, the case was argued by Kapil Sibal and the order for re-examination was squashed on the grounds that it had been issued in a haste and "had not applied his mind". as communal.

A case under the Anti-Dowry Act was registered against Arjun Singh in 2007. The then Uttar Pradesh government had decided to seek CBI inquiry into dowry harassment case.

Arjun Singh was accused of irregularities and corruption in the grant of "Deemed University" status to private for-profit educational institutions which did not meet requisite educational standards, during his tenure as Minister for Human Resources Development. The Government of India initiated proceedings to repeal the "Deemed University" status of 44 such institutions in January 2010.

Death

Singh died on 4 March 2011, at the age of 80. He had been admitted to Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences with chest pain and neurological problems, and died of a heart attack. He was cremated at his home town of Churhat.

Family

Arjun Singh's son Ajay Singh aka Rahul Bhaiya is an INC politician and former Leader of Opposition in the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly. His grandson is Arunoday Singh, a Bollywood actor.

Another grandson of his, Yuvaraja Aishwarya Singh of Singrauli is married to Devyani Rana, great-granddaughter of Mohan Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana, the last Shree Teen Maharaja of Nepal. Devyani’s father- His Highness Shree Teen Maharaja Pashupati Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana is the titular Shree Teen Maharaja of Nepal.

Positions held

  • 1957 - 1985 Member, Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly
  • 1963 - 1967 Minister of State for Agriculture, General Administration Department (GAD) and Information & Public Relations, Government of Madhya Pradesh
  • 1967 - Minister of Planning and Development, Government of Madhya Pradesh
  • 1972 - 1977 Minister of Education, Government of Madhya Pradesh
  • 1977 - 1980 Leader of Opposition, Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly
  • 1980 - 1985 Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh
  • 1985 - 1985 Governor of Punjab
  • 1985 - 1988 Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
  • 1985 - 1986 Minister of Commerce, Government of India
  • 1986 - 1988 Minister of Communications, Government of India
  • 1988 - 1991 Member, Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly
  • 1988 - 1989 Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh
  • 1991 - 1996 Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
  • 1991 - 1994 Minister of Human Resource Development, Government of India
  • 2000 - 2011 Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha
  • 2000 - 2004 Member, Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Home Affairs
  • 2001 - 2004 Member, Committee on Rules
  • 2002 - 2004 Chairman, Parliamentary Standing Committee on Purposes Committee
  • 2004 - 2009 Minister of Human Resource Development, Government of India

Elections contested

  • 1957 - Won from Majholi (IND)

See also

  • 2006 Indian anti-reservation protests
  • Reservation in India
  • Forward caste

References

  • HRD Ministry's website
  • Arjun singh's recent interview with Karan Thapar on reservation issue
  • Hindustan Times : Arjun Singh, always in the race but never the king