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Raghuraj Pratap Singh

Raghuraj Pratap Singh, more commonly known as Raja Bhaiya (born 1969) is an Indian politician and belongs to Bhadri family Oudh of Kunda, Uttar Pradesh. He is currently an Independent Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA), having been elected fifth time in a row from Kunda in the Uttar Pradesh legislative assembly election, 2012. Seen as an ally of Mulayam Singh Yadav's Samajwadi Party, Raghuraj is a minister in the Akhilesh government.

Life[link]

Raghuraj was born to Udai Pratap Singh in 1969. His grandfather Raja Bajarang Bahadur Singh was the founder vice chancellor of Pant Nagar University and later the first governor of Himachal Pradesh. Raghuraj was the first in his family to enter politics; his Doon School educated father is largely a recluse. Raghuraj's Grand father had adopted his father Uday Pratap Singh. Raja Bhajarang Bahadur singh, the grandfather of Raghuraj were three Brothers 1- Bhadreshwar Pratap Singh 2-Trilochan Pratap Singh and 3- Bajarang Bahadur singh

Raghuraj was educated at Lucknow University, contested and won the state elections from the Kunda seat in 1993, as an Independent. He was officially 26 years old.,^[1] but was possibly underage at the time. In the Indian general election, 1999, he put up Akshay Pratap Singh against the incumbent Ratna Singh (also from a related family). It is in this election that Raghuraj started using strongarm and criminal intimidation tactics.

Jailed on terrorism charges[link]

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 3:00 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 Udai Pratap Singh and cousin Akshay Pratap Singh.^[2] Subsequently, Akshay managed to get bail, but Raghuraj's pleas were rejected many times.^[3]

From jail to cabinet minister[link]

Within 25 minutes^[4] 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^[4]

Eventually the repressive POTA act was repealed in 2004, and although the court again refused to release Raghuraj,^[5] the He subsequently became a powerful man in the government, and was accused by police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.^[6] Eventually R.S. Pandey was killed in a road accident,^[7] which is currently being investigated by the CBI.^[8]

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,^[9] though the threats against him were not specified.

2007 Elections[link]

In the Uttar Pradesh state elections, 2007, he was overwhelmingly elected from Kunda with a margin of nearly half the votes cast^[10] 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.".^[11]

His cousin and political follower Akshay Pratap Singh alias Gopalji won the 2004 elections to the 14th Lok Sabha from Pratapgarh. Much of his campaign against Congress leader, Ratna Singh (from a related branch of the family), was planned from the jail premises where Raja Bhaiya was incarcerated.^[3]

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

He has become a cabinet minister in the newly elected SP government (accused of being goonda raj supporter) led by Mulayam Singh Yadav's son Akhilesh Yadav. He was assigned the Food and Civil Supplies ministry(Total 28 ministers are under trial for murder and other criminal cases) as well as prison department. The Dalit-OBC feud in UP politics awaits a new vicious round of vendetta and recrimination.

References[link]

In 2012 Raja Bhaiya make cabinet minister. Raja Bhaiya has again become the cabinet minister on 15th March,2012

External links[link]

• The secret of Raja Bhaiya's success Rediff - February 20, 2002