Amar Singh (politician)

Amar Singh (27 January 1956 – 1 August 2020) was an Indian politician from the state of Uttar Pradesh.[2][3] He was the general secretary of the Samajwadi Party and was a member of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian parliament. On 6 January 2010, he resigned from all the posts of the Samajwadi Party[4] and was later expelled from the party by its chief, Mulayam Singh Yadav, on 2 February 2010.[5]

Amar Singh
Singh speaking at the World Economic Forum's India Economic Summit 2008.
Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha[1]
In office
5 July 2016 – 1 August 2020
Preceded byAmbeth Rajan
Succeeded bySyed Zafar Islam
ConstituencyUttar Pradesh
Personal details
Born(1956-01-27)27 January 1956
Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh, India
Died1 August 2020(2020-08-01) (aged 64)
Singapore
Political partyIndependent
Other political
affiliations		Samajwadi Party
Rashtriya Lok Dal
Spouse(s)Pankaja Kumari Singh
Children2
Alma materUniversity of Calcutta
ProfessionPolitician

In 2011, he was arrested and spent a brief period in jail for his alleged involvement in the cash-for-votes scandal.[6] In 2016, he was elected to Rajya Sabha with support from Samajwadi Party even after facing a stiff opposition from a section of the party including the then Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Akhilesh Yadav. He was also reinstated as one of the general secretaries of the party in October 2016. On August 1, 2020, Singh died of a kidney ailment in Singapore at the age of 64.[7]

Early life

Amar Singh was born on 27 January 1956 at Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh to a Rajput family.[8] He got his early education at his native place.[9] Afterward his family moved to Kolkata where he completed his graduation from St. Xavier's College and had his law education from University College of Law, Kolkata.[10] Amar Singh started his career as a liaison officer of K.K. Birla. K.K. Birla was the owner of Hindustan Times. Working with Birla he made inroads in journalist fraternity.[11]

Political career

Singh's prominence in Delhi surged when the UPA government was reduced to a minority after the Communist Party of India withdrew their support over the proposed Nuclear Accord with the United States. His Samajwadi Party pledged support to the UPA government with the support of its 39 members.[12]

Singh along with his close associate Jaya Prada were expelled from the Samajwadi Party in February, 2010 for anti party activities.[13] On 21 December 2010, Singh launched his official website and blog.[14]

Singh floated his own political party, Rashtriya Lok Manch, in 2011, and fielded candidates in 360 of the 403 seats in Uttar Pradesh in the 2012 assembly polls. However his party did not win a single seat in these elections. He joined the Rashtriya Lok Dal party in March 2014, contested the general elections that year from Fatehpur Sikri, Uttar Pradesh in 2014 Indian general election and lost.[15]

He was admitted at a hospital in Dubai with kidney failure and was stated to be critical on 19 February 2013.[16]

Positions held
  • Nov. 1996 : Elected to Rajya Sabha
  • 1997-98 : Member, Committee on Papers Laid on the Table
  • 1998-99 and Oct. 2004 onwards : Member, Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Finance
  • June 1998 – Feb. 2004 and Aug. 2004 – Aug. 2006 : Member, Committee on Finance
  • 1999–2001 : Member, Committee on Provision of Computers to Members of Rajya Sabha
  • 1999 : Member, Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas Member, Informal Consultative Committee for Northern Railway Zone
  • April 2001 – Dec.2002 : Member, Joint Parliamentary Committee on Stock Market Scam and matters relating thereto
  • March 2002 – Nov. 2002 : Member, Committee on Petitions
  • Nov. 2002 : Re-elected to Rajya Sabha
  • June 2003 – Aug. 2004 : Member, Committee of Privileges
  • Aug. 2004 – May 2009 and Aug.2009 onwards : Chairman, Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare
  • Aug. 2004 onwards : Member, General Purposes Committee
  • Sept. 2006 onwards : Member, Business Advisory Committee
  • May 2008 – Nov. 2008 : Member, Committee on Public Undertakings
  • Nov. 2008 : Re-elected to Rajya Sabha
  • Jan. 2010 onwards : Member, Parliamentary Forum on Population and Public Health.
  • 2016 : Elected to Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh as an independent member by support of Samajwadi Party

Controversies

On 22 July 2008, he accused Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati of kidnapping six MPs of his party from Uttar Pradesh and holding them captive in Uttar Pradesh Bhavan, New Delhi.[17] Later, Samajwadi Party expelled the six MPs for defying the party directive during the confidence motion voting.[18]

He also courted controversy by asking for a probe in the Jamia Nagar Batla house encounter case. First he gave ₹10 lakh cheque to the family of Mohan Chand Sharma, a police officer who died in the encounter, which bounced when checked for its validity. Later he asked for a judicial enquiry into the firing incidence suggesting that the encounter may have been fake. Mohan Chand Sharma's family criticized him and returned his money.[19][20]

Amar Singh has been chargesheeted for offering bribes to three parliament members of the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2008 under the Prevention of Corruption Act by the Delhi Police on 24 August 2011.[21] Amar Singh has pleaded health grounds for not appearing before the courts where the chargesheet was being heard.[22] However, distressed by adverse media reports, Singh has appeared before the courts to dispel allegations that he is running away from the process of law. After hearing his personal pleas, the Court has sent Singh to judicial custody till 19 September 2011, in Delhi's Tihar jail.[23] But the money trail in this scandal was not traced to Amar Singh's account as per Supreme Court order and nor concrete evidence could be found against him.

2011 tapes controversy

Amar Singh had filed a petition in 2006 after some of his telephone conversations were illegally tapped and were in circulation. A man named Anurag Singh was arrested in the case.[24]The leader had moved the apex court and got a restraint order against their publication in the media. In May 2011, the Supreme Court of India removed the stay on publishing the taped conversations with Bollywood star including Bipasha Basu.

Clinton Cash

In reference to the book Clinton Cash, the New York Post questioned Singh's $5 million contribution to the Clinton Foundation, writing "Singh’s donation was treated with suspicion and amusement in India."[25]

Films

Amar Singh acted in many films including a small role in Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai and the role of a politician in the film JD.[26][27] He also acted in a Malayalam-language film Bombay Mittayi in 2011.[28]

Death

Amar Singh died on 1 August 2020 at the age of 64 in Singapore due to kidney failure.[29]

References
  1. "Samajwadi Party wins 7 Rajya Sabha seats in UP, Kapil Sibbal emerges victorious". NDTV. Archived from the original on 3 September 2020.
  2. "Corruption case: Amar Singh gets reprieve from high court". law.gaeatimes.com. Archived from the original on 25 March 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  3. Rajesh Chopra www.liveindia.com. "Amar Singh's telephone conversations recorded, Such acts are surely very bad and very shameful". liveindia.com. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  4. "Amar Singh quits all party posts". The Hindu. 7 January 2010. Retrieved 7 September 2011.
  5. "Amar, Jaya expelled from SP". The Times of India. 2 February 2010. Retrieved 7 September 2011.
  6. "Amar Singh arrested, sent to Tihar in cash-for-votes case". NDTV.com. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  7. "Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh dies at 64". Hindustan Times. 1 August 2020.
  8. Chande, B. (1999). Betrayal of Indian Democracy. Atlantic Publishers and Distributors. p. 337. ISBN 9788171567928. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  9. "Amar Singh : Biography". Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  10. "Amar Singh (27 January 1956 - 1 August 2020): Biography - Family, Education, Political Career, Last Tweet & More". Jagranjosh.com. 1 August 2020.
  11. "अमर सिंह ने कैसे भारतीय राजनीति की खामियों (या पाखंड) को उजागर किया" [How Amar Singh exposed the flaws (or hypocrisy) of Indian politics] (in Hindi). Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  12. "Samajwadi Party declares support to UPA". The Hindu. 9 July 2008. Retrieved 7 September 2011.
  13. "Amar Singh, Jaya Prada expelled from SP". Hindustan Times. 2 February 2010. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  14. "With candid blogposts, Amar launches his website - Indian Express". archive.indianexpress.com. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  15. "Amar Singh, Jaya Prada join Ajit Singh's Rashtriya Lok Dal". NDTV.com. 10 March 2014. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  16. "Amar Singh was hospitalised in Dubai - The Economic Times". The Economic Times. 18 February 2013. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  17. "SP's googly before trust vote". rediff. Retrieved 6 April 2009.
  18. "SP expels six MPs for voting against govt". Press Trust of India. 25 July 2008. Retrieved 6 April 2009.
  19. "Sharma's family rejects SP offer". Outlook India. Archived from the original on 4 January 2013. Retrieved 20 March 2009.
  20. "Family of slain Delhi cop rejects Amar Singh's cheque". The Indian Express. Retrieved 6 April 2009.
  21. "Amar Singh chargesheeted in cash-for-votes scam". NDTV. 24 August 2011. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
  22. "Amar Singh arrested, sent to Tihar jail in cash-for-votes scam". Hindustan Times. 6 September 2011. Retrieved 7 September 2011.
  23. "Amar Singh sent to Tihar Jail for 13 days in cash-for-votes scam". Indiavision news. 6 September 2011. Archived from the original on 9 September 2012. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
  24. Sharma, Aman. "Phone tapping controversy: Anurag Singh from spy to a convict". The Economic Times. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  25. Earle, Geoff; Campanile, Carl (28 April 2015). "'Clinton Cash' questions India politician's $5M donation". New York Post. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
  26. "Meet actor Amar Singh". Hindustan Times. 9 February 2010. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  27. "Politician Amar Singh to act in a film". mid-day. 7 October 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  28. "When Amar Singh starred with Dimple Kapadia in Malayalam film Bombay Mittayi". Mumbai Mirror. Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  29. "Amar Singh, Rajya Sabha member and former SP leader, passes away - India News". The Times of India. 1 August 2020. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
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