| Amar Singh | |
|---|---|
| Singh speaking at the World Economic Forum's India Economic Summit 2008. | |
| Member of the Rajya Sabha | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 27 January 1956 Azamgarh,Tarwan Uttar Pradesh, India |
| Political party | Samajwadi Party |
| Spouse(s) | Pankaja Kumari Singh |
| Children | 2 daughters |
| Alma mater | St. Xavier's College, Kolkata University College of Law, Kolkata |
| Profession | Politician |
| Religion | Hindu |
| Website | [1] |
Amar Singh (Hindi: अमर सिंह, 27 January 1956) is an Indian politician from the state of Uttar Pradesh and one of the founding leaders of Samajwadi Party. Known for his chaste Hindi and political connections, Amar Singh polarises the public opinion on him. He has several cases of corruption pending against him making him widely unpopular.,[1][2] He was the general secretary of the Samajwadi Party and is a member of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian parliament. On 6th Jan 2010, he resigned from all the posts of Samajwadi Party [3]and was later expelled from the party by its chief Mulayam Singh Yadav on 2nd Feb 2010.[4] On 6th Sept 2011, Amar Singh has been sentenced to judicial custody till 19th Sept 2011.[5]
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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.[6]
On 21 December 2010, Singh launched his official website and blog after being encouraged by Hindi film actor Amitabh Bachchan, whom he was close to at the time.
On 6 January 2010, he resigned as general secretary of the party as well as from its parliamentary board and as its spokesperson. He also used his blog to speak about his abrupt departure from the Samajwadi Party.
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 Dec. 1999-July 2000 Member, Select Committee on Prevention of Money Laundering Bill, 1999 Dec.1999-Nov.2000 Member, Joint Committee on Central Vigilance Commission Bill, 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. Perhaps known more for his statements than his political achievements, Amar Singh has shown remarkable consistency as far courting controversies goes. Industrialist, politician, amateur poet and Hindi film aficionado rolled in one, the man has been the focus of newsmakers’ attention thanks to his meteoric rise in the political corridors of New Delhi as well as his close connections with and subsequent estrangement from some of the most powerful men and women from the world of business, politics and Bollywood.
Born in Azamgarh, UP to late Harish Chandra Singh and Shail Kumari Singh, Amar Singh got a degree in law from St. Xavier’s college, Kolkata. Married to Pankaja Kumari Singh, Amar Singh has two daughters, Drishti, and Disha.
Elected to Rajya Sabha in November 1996, Amar Singh was part of several Parliamentary committees including- some would say ironically- the Select Committee on Prevention of Money Laundering Bill (Dec 1999 to Nov 2000) and the Joint Committee on Central Vigilance Commission Bill.
Singh rose to prominence in Delhi 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 came with the support of his 39 members.
As the General Secretary of Samajwadi Party, Amar Singh played by the rules of the rough and tumble world UP politics. In July 2008 he made the bizarre accusation that UP Chief Minister Mayawati had kidnapped six MPs of his party and held them hostage in New Delhi. Later, the six MPs were asked to leave the party for defying the party directive during the confidence motion voting.
His connection with the Samajwadi Party ended in January last year when he resigned as its general secretary. The vocal politician also gave up his position as the party spokesperson and turned to his blog to express his views on his ouster. Openly critical of party President Mulayam Singh Yadav, Amar Singh came out with all guns blazing against his one-time mentor, saying he had not just betrayed him but also ‘Talibanised’ the ‘primitive’ party.
Amar Singh had moved the apex court in 2006 to get a restraint order against publication of some of his phone chats which he alleged had been illegally tapped. In May this year, the stay on publishing the taped conversations with political leaders and Bollywood stars was lifted by the Supreme Court. The tapes reveal Amar Singh’s discussion on bribes and bending government policies to suit vested interests.
Another taped and leaked conversation involving the troubled industrialist-politician- this time with Bollywood actor Bipasha Basu saw the man in the center of yet another embarrassing and widely publicized scandal. Singh issued a statement in his defense saying that while the voice in conversation was his, the content of the same had been doctored.
And with the Delhi Police questioning him on Friday regarding his involvement in the cash-for-query scam, it seems likely that Amar Singh will remain under the scrutiny of the public and the glare of the media for some time to come.
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.[7][8][9][10] Later, Samajwadi Party expelled the six MPs for defying the party directive during the confidence motion voting.[11]
He also courted controversy by asking for a probe in the Jamia Nagar batla house encounter case. First he gave 10 Lakh rupees cheque to the family of Mohan Chand Sharma, a police officer who died in the encounter, which bounced when checked 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.[12][13][14][15]
Amar Singh has been chargesheeted for offering bribes to three parliament members of the Bharathiya Janatha Party in 2008 under the Prevention of Corruption Act by the Delhi Police on 24 August, 2011. [16] Amar Singh has pleaded health grounds for not appearing before the courts where the chargesheet is being heard.[17] However, distressed by adverse media reports, Mr. Singh has appeared before the courts to dispel allegations that he is running away from a process of law. After hearing his personal pleas the Court has sent Mr. Amar Singh to judicial custody till September 19, 2011, in Delhi's Tihar jail.[18]
A. Singh had filed a petition in 2006 after some of his telephone conversations were illegally tapped and were in circulation. 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 political leaders and Bollywood stars.[19] In these tapes, Amar Singh can be heard discussing bribes and bending government policies to suit vested interests. On September 6, 2011, Amar Singh was arrested for his alleged involvement in the scam and was ordered to be remanded in custody until 19 September. He had appealed to the court to exempt him from appearing personally, stating that he was ill with an infection; however, his request was rejected.[20]