Bihar’s ace politician and former Union Minister, Raghuvash Prasad Singh passed away on September 13 at All Indian Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi. He had fallen critically ill after developing post-COVID complications. Singh’s condition had deteriorated on September 11 night, and he was admitted to AIIMS on September 12 with complaints of recurrent cough. He was later put on a ventilator.
A renowned Mathematics professor, Raghuvansh Prasad Singh was one of the few leaders of the RJD who has never been charged with corruption or vandalism. He was the closest associate of Lalu Prasad Yadav and represented the RJD in Delhi politics on most occasions. However, he was irked and resigned as the party’s national vice president.
The senior Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD) leader had resigned from the party on September 11. Singh, who was admitted to Delhi AIIMS, wrote his resignation on a general page. Bihar Deputy CM and BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi had also invited Prasad to join his party.
Political experts point out that Raghuvansh Prasad was a leader who has spent the night eating puffed rice and became a minister in the central government because of his integrity. When he became the Minister of Rural Development in the UPA-1 of Manmohan Singh’s government, he spearheaded the Mahatma Gandhi Rozgar Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA). This is a scheme which is appreciated till today.
He represented the Vaishali constituency from Bihar in Lok sabha consecutively for five terms and has been in the union cabinet for three terms.
In 1999, when Lalu Prasad Yadav was defeated, Raghuvansh Prasad was made the chairman of the RJD parliamentary party in Delhi.
The students of LD Engineering College, Ahmedabad, refused to pay an increased mess bill in December 1973, which took the form of agitation. The student agitation started all over the country. Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, who was also the district secretary of the United Socialist Party, was teaching mathematics at Goenka College to give an edge to the students ‘ agitation at Sitamarhi in Bihar.
There was a time in 1974 when Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, a mathematics professor, was arrested by the police in the student movement. When he came out of jail three months later, landlord Sitaram Singh asked him to vacate the house. Thereafter, the college hostels came except their rooms near the railway line.
At that time, apart from some books, a pair of dhoti-kurta and a towel, had nothing else left as a property. Raghuvansh Prasad’s close points out that his salary was enough to send expenses at home and arrange two meals a day.
In June 1977, Raghuvansh Prasad Singh was elected from the Belsanad seat of Sitamarhi in the assembly elections. His victory continued till 1985. In the 1996 Lok Sabha elections, Lalu Yadav fought the Lok Sabha elections from Vaishali and managed to win. So, he came from to Delhi from Patna.
The Janata Dal Alliance came to power at the center. Deve Gowda became the Prime Minister. Raghuvansh was made minister of state at the center from Bihar quota. In April 1997, Deve Gowda lost the Prime Minister’s chair in a dramatic development. Indra Kumar Gujral became the new prime minister and Raghuvansh Prasad Singh was sent to the Ministry of Food and Consumers.
In 2014, Raghuvansh Prasad Singh had suffered a defeat after five victories in Vaishali.
Early in June 2020, he resigned as the party’s national vice president. The 75-year-old leader opposed the party’s adamant attitude to pressurize allies on accepting Tejashwi Prasad Yadav’s name as the Chief Ministerial face in the Grand Alliance by negating demands of smaller allies for discussion on the issue.
On September 10, 2020, Raghuvansh Prasad Singh resigned from the RJD.
