Raghuraj Pratap Singh

Raghuraj Pratap Singh (born 31 October 1969), popularly known as Raja Bhaiya, is an Indian politician. He is an independent M.L.A. from his native local assembly constituency Kunda, Uttar Pradesh. He was cabinet minister of Uttar Pradesh of food in Akhilesh Yadav ministry cabinet.

"Raja Bhaiya" redirects here. For the 2003 Indian film, see Raja Bhaiya (film).

Raghuraj Pratap Singh
MLA
In office
1993
Preceded byShiv Narain Mishra
ConstituencyKunda
Minister of Food and Civil Supplies Department
In office
2004–2007, 2012–2017
Minister of Sports and Youth Welfare
In office
1999–2000
Minister of Programme Implementation
In office
1997–1999
Personal details
Born (1969-10-31) 31 October 1969
Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Political partyIndependent (1993–2018)
Founder Jansatta Dal Loktantrik (2018–present)
Spouse(s)
Bhanvi Kumari
​
(m. 1995)​
Children4
ResidenceKunda, Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh[1]
Alma materUniversity of Lucknow (1989)
ProfessionAgriculturalist
Nickname(s)Raja Bhaiya
As of 25 April, 2015

On 16 November 2018, Singh announced he was forming his own party, the Jansatta Dal (Loktantrik).[2]

Early life and education

Singh was born on 31 October 1969 in Kolkata, West Bengal.[3][4] His father is Raja Uday Pratap Singh and hails from the royal Bhadri (estate) of Oudh. His grandfather Raja Bajrang Bahadur Singh was the founder vice-chancellor of Pant Nagar Agriculture University and later the second governor of Himachal Pradesh state.[1] Raghuraj was the first in his family to enter politics; his father is largely a recluse. Raghuraj's grand father had adopted his nephew Raja Uday Pratap Singh as his son.[1]

Singh graduated from University of Lucknow in 1989.[5] He married Bhanvi Kumari Singh on 15 February 1995, with whom he has two sons and two daughters.[3][4] Singh is an agriculturalist by profession.[5]

Notable election results

2007 Uttar Pradesh election results

In the 2007 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly election, he was overwhelmingly elected from Kunda with a margin of nearly half the votes cast[6] over Shiv Prakash Mishra of the Bahujan Samaj Party. He had stood as an Independent, supported by the Samajwadi Party.

He also wields considerable influence over five assembly constituencies in the Pratapgarh region, as well as some in neighbouring Bihar. In election rallies in this region where he is present, the actual candidate may never speak or even be mentioned in his speech; "they are all shadows. Raja Bhaiya, alone, is the substance.".[7]

After the 2007 elections, when Mayawati swept to power with a majority, Raghuraj again came under the police radar.

2017 Uttar Pradesh election results

In the 2017 Assembly election, Raghuraj Pratap Singh defeated his opponent Janki Sharan from the Bhartiya Janata Party by a huge margin of 103,647 votes & acquired 136,597 votes in total. Singh or has consecutively been elected as the representative of Kunda assembly for the 6th time in 2017.

Controversies and conflict

Jailed under POTA in 2002

In 2002, on an FIR filed by a dissident Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Puran Singh Bundela of alleged kidnapping and threatening with dire consequences, got Raghuraj arrested on the orders of then Chief Minister Mayawati at the early hours about 4:00 a.m. of 2 November 2002. Later Mayawati-led government in Uttar Pradesh declared him a terrorist, and he was sent to jail under Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA), along with his father Uday Pratap Singh and cousin Akshay Pratap Singh.[8] Subsequently, Akshay managed to get bail, but Raghuraj's pleas were rejected many times.[9]

From jail to cabinet minister

Within 25 minutes[10] of the Mulayam Singh Yadav's government coming to power in 2003, all POTA charges against him were dropped. However, the Supreme Court debarred the state government from dismissing POTA charges[10]

Eventually the POTA act was repealed in 2004, and although the court again refused to release Raghuraj,[11] he subsequently became a powerful man in the government, and was accused by police officer R.S. Pandey (who led the raid on his house) of having launched a vendetta against him.[12] Eventually R.S. Pandey was killed in a road accident,[13] which is currently being investigated by the CBI.[14]

In 2005, he became the minister for Food and Civil Supplies, and despite his pending criminal cases, he came to be assigned the highest level of security (Z-category) provided by the state,[15] though the threats against him were not specified.

In 2018, he voted for the Bharatiya Janta Party in the Rajya Sabha polls against the BSP candidate Dr. Ambedkar.

His party contested the Lok Sabha polls alone on two seats of Pratapgarh and Kaushambi.[16]

DSP Zia Ul Haque murder case

On 3 March 2013, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Zia Ul Haq was killed during clashes between villagers and police in Kunda, Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiyya's constituency. Following a complaint by the slain officer's wife, Parveen Azad, Pratapgarh police have registered a case against Raja Bhaiyya for his alleged involvement in the "conspiracy" which resulted in the gang war and subsequent murder of the police officer. In the FIR, Parveen has said her husband was killed by the henchmen of Raja Bhaiyya. She has named Gulshan Yadav, chairman of Kunda Nagar Panchayat, Harion Srivastava, a representative of Raja Bhaiyya and Guddu Singh, Raja Bhaiyya's driver as prime accused. She has also named two other villagers – Kamta Prasad Pal and Rajesh Kumar Pal. The police have registered a murder case against other accused who were named in the FIR. Further this case was handed over to elite investigation agency CBI on dated-07.2.2013 for further investigation.[17] The CBI has registered four different cases in the murder of senior police officer Zia-ul-Haq and two others who were shot dead on Saturday in the constituency of former Uttar Pradesh minister, Raja Bhaiya.

The politician will be investigated for criminal conspiracy. He was forced to resign from office after he was accused in a police case of criminal conspiracy.

On 1 August 2013, the CBI filed the final report in the CBI court giving a clean chit to Raja Bhaiya.[18] On opposition by the DSP Zia-ul-Haque's widow Parveen Azad the special CBI Magistrate Lucknow ordered for further enquiry mentioning that the Raghuraj Pratap Singh and others are nominated in FIR lodged by the slain DSP's widow,so CBI are required to collect the evidences against Raghuraj Pratap Singh and others.

Office held

Charity and social work

In November 2019, Singh announced bearing of all the treatment related expenses for a six year old cancer patient named Vidushi.[19]

Every year since 1993, Singh organises group wedding (saamuhik vivah) of hundreds of those girls whose family can't afford marriage expenses.[20]

See also

References
  1. Ramendra Singh (9 March 2013). "The Raja's Backyard". The Indian Express. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
  2. "Uttar Pradesh: Kunda MLA Raja Bhaiyya announces new party, likely to field candidates in 2019". The New Indian Express. 16 November 2018. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  3. "Members of Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly". uplegisassembly.gov.in (in Hindi). Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  4. "Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly (UPLA): Member info". www.upvidhansabhaproceedings.gov.in. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  5. "Raghuraj Pratap Singh(Independent(IND)):Constituency- KUNDA(PRATAPGARH) - Affidavit Information of Candidate". myneta.info. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  6. Election Commission of India: 2007 Uttar Pradesh state elections, Results, constituency 98 Archived 30 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine.
  7. Prem Panicker (20 February 2002). "Election 2002: The secret of Raja Bhaiya's success". rediff.com. Retrieved 6 August 2007.
  8. The gang of Raja Bhaiyya Times of India – 24 June 2007
  9. J.P. Shukla (15 April 2004). "Muscle and mafia links still matter in Uttar Pradesh". The Hindu. Retrieved 9 August 2007.
  10. George Iype and Ehtasham Khan (11 March 2004). "Caught in the POTA trap: Uttar Pradesh". rediff.com.
  11. Ram Dutt Tripathi (14 November 2005). "Politician held on terror charge". BBC News, Lucknow. Retrieved 6 August 2007.
  12. SC upholds stay on proceedings (28 August 2004). "Raja Bhaiya cases: DSP being 'victimised'". The Tribune, Chandigarh. Retrieved 6 August 2007.
  13. "Night before HC says yes to his plea for CBI probe, UP cop dies". The Indian Express. 17 January 2007. Archived from the original on 14 October 2012. Retrieved 19 June 2011.
  14. http://cities.expressindia.com/local-news/fullstory.php?newsid=252533%5B%5D
  15. Aman Sharma (22 June 2005). "Now, Z security for Bhaiyya". Indian Express.
  16. "Modi is popular but his MPs will struggle: Independent MLA Raja Bhaiyya". The Times of India. 7 May 2019. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  17. "UP top cop killed in gunbattle following village head's murder". India Today. 15-07-14.
  18. "CBI gives clean chit to Raja Bhaiya in deputy SP murder case". Times of India. Bennett, Coleman & Co. 2 August 2013. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
  19. "कैंसर से लड़ रही ये मासूम, 3 दिन में मदद को ब दर्जनों हाथ, राजा भैया ने कहा- पूरी हेल्प करूंगा". Asianet News Network Pvt Ltd (in Hindi). 6 November 2019. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  20. "हिंदी खबर, Latest News in Hindi, हिंदी समाचार, ताजा खबर". Patrika News (in Hindi). Retrieved 10 November 2020.
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