Bhopal, (Samajweekly) Madhya Pradesh Congress remembered two-time Chief Minister and former Union Minister (late) Arjun Singh, who was once to be called – Chanakya of Indian politics during his era, on his birth anniversary, on Saturday. To celebrate the occasion, a mega event was organised, which was attended by hundreds of party leaders and workers, including former Chief Minister and state Congress president Kamal Nath and many others at Central Library Ground in Bhopal.
While recalling the long tenure of Singh’s political periods from state to the Centre level, veteran Congress leaders who had worked during his tenure as Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh (June 9, 1980- March 10, 1985 and February 14, 1988 – January 23, 1989), shared their memories, talked about his efforts to establish the party after a massive defeat after emergency period and under his leadership the party formed the government after short tenure of Janata Party in 1980.
Veteran Congress leader Chandraprabhas Shekhar, who was the cabinet minister during Arjun Singh’s government in Madhya Pradesh, said the state had witnessed tremendous developments. He claimed that Arjun Singh wasn’t addressed as Chanakya, he was really such a leader who would have solution to every problem. His coolness and relentless work to empower weaker section society made him a mass leader.
“Served as minister under his government and I won’t hesitate to claim that he was a visionary leader. Several educational institutions, including IIM Indore, medical colleges in different parts of the state were established during his tenure. Old Vidhan Sabha building was established during his tenure, which now has been shifted to a new building. I have worked years with him and therefore I say that Arjun Singh’s life is inspiring new generations,” Shekhar, who is at present key party functionary, said while recalling Singh at party headquarters.
Arjun Singh’s life was also surrounded with controversies, be it Churhat Lottery scandal in 1989, or Union Carbide gas leakage incident, which is considered the world’s biggest chemical tragedy earlier in December 1984.
Even after his death, he remained surrounded with controversy, and fresh one over his statue in Bhopal. Irony is that two-time Chief Minister and two-time Union Minister’s lifesize statue, which was made by his supporters back in 2018, still remained covered after a controversy broke out regarding the place where it was established.
The controversy erupted over installation of a life-sized statue of late Arjun Singh at a busy trisection in Bhopal where the bust of freedom fighter Chandra Shekhar Azad had existed earlier. Interestingly, it is the BJP-ruled Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) which installed the statue of Singh, a former Chief Minister and Gandhi family loyalist who died in 2011.
“It is irony that a person who severed the people of state and the nation till his last breath, his statue did not find a place in own state and his life-size statue was shifted to another location, but yet to unveiled. Hopefully, Singh’s statue will be unveiled after the Congress will be back in power in 2023,” said a Congress leader.
Arjun Singh was borne on November 5, 1930 in Churhat in Sidhi district of Madhya Pradesh, which used to be the part of Vindhya Pradesh before it was merged with Madhya Pradesh in 1956. He was first elected as the member of the state assembly in 1956 from Majholi constituency as an Independent candidate in his home district Sidhi and had joined the Indian National Congress in 1960.
Arjun Singh’s son Ajay Singh (Rahul), a senior leader and former leader of opposition in the state assembly had lost the election from Churhat in 2018, which came as a major setback in his political career.
Ajay Singh, who is popularly addressed as Rahul Bhaia by his supporters, has strong effluence especially in Vindhya region. He has been appointed as the convenor of sub-yatras being organised on the occasion of arrival of Congress’ pan-India “Bharat Jodo Yatra” to arrive in Madhya Pradesh on November 20.
