Suraj Bhan
Encyclopedia
Suraj Bhan (1928-10-01-2006-08-06) was a dalit
leader and an India
n politician from the Bharatiya Janata Party
, who was elected to the Lok Sabha
on four occasions, and served as governor of the states
of Uttar Pradesh
, Himachal Pradesh
, and Bihar
.
He was born on October 1, 1928 in the village of Mehlanwali in the Yamuna Nagar district of Haryana
, and studied MA
and LLB at Panjab University and Kurukshetra University
. He also had ancestral land at village Jamal Majra near Salehpur
on Barara-Sadhaura highway. Both these village salehpur
and Jamal majra have one common panchayat to look after developmental affairs.
and later joined it as a pracharak (fulltime worker).
He dropped his surname "Banswal" after joining active politics in 1967. He started his political career with the Bharatiya Jana Sangh
which eventually became the Bharatiya Janata Party
. He represented Ambala
parliamentary constituency of Haryana
in the 4th
(1967–1970), 6th
(1977–1979), 7th
(1979–1984) and the 11th Lok Sabha
s (1996–1997). In 1987, he was elected to Haryana assembly and served as Revenue Minister in Devi Lal's government between 1987 and 1989. After the BJP broke alliance with Devi Lal's party, he served as Leader of Opposition in the Haryana assembly (1989–1990). he was genius.
In 1996, he was named Agriculture minister in First Vajpayee Ministry
after which he served as deputy speaker of the 11th Lok Sabha, during the United Front
government (Jul 1996 to Feb 1997). He contested 1998 Lok Sabha elections, but lost to Aman
Kumar Nagra of the BSP
. Afterwards, he took over
as Governor of Uttar Pradesh (Apr 1998 - Nov 2000),
Himachal Pradesh
(Nov 2000 - May 2003), and officiated as Governor of Bihar (1999).
As acting governor of Bihar
in 1999, he revoked the
state minister for
Horticulture, Weights and Measures, Rakesh Kumar alias Samrat Chaudhary alias Samrat Chandra Maurya, for being "underage". While Samrat's Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) certificate, gave his age as 18, he had given his age in various other legal documents as 20 or 31. Suraj Bhan was attacked for having done this out of political vendetta against Rabri Devi
's Rashtriya Janata Dal
government, since Samrat's father Shakuni Chaudhary had recently defected from BJP-ally Samata Party
to RJD.
In 2002 Dr Suraj Bhan also joined the race for the post of Vice-President of the country following re-thinking in the BJP over the candidature of former Rajasthan Chief Minister, Bhairon Singh Shekhawat. Certain senior Dalit leaders of the Congress unofficially conveyed that Mrs Sonia Gandhi had no objection to Dr Suraj Bhan’s candidature.
In February 2004, he was appointed as Chairman of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes
(SC/ST) Commission. He died of cardiac
arrest following multiple organ failure in August 2006 in New Delhi.
Dalit
Dalit is a designation for a group of people traditionally regarded as Untouchable. Dalits are a mixed population, consisting of numerous castes from all over South Asia; they speak a variety of languages and practice a multitude of religions...
leader and an India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n politician from the Bharatiya Janata Party
Bharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party ,; translation: Indian People's Party) is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Indian National Congress. Established in 1980, it is India's second largest political party in terms of representation in the parliament...
, who was elected to the Lok Sabha
Lok Sabha
The Lok Sabha or House of the People is the lower house of the Parliament of India. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by direct election under universal adult suffrage. As of 2009, there have been fifteen Lok Sabhas elected by the people of India...
on four occasions, and served as governor of the states
States and territories of India
India is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...
of Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
, Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh is a state in Northern India. It is spread over , and is bordered by the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir on the north, Punjab on the west and south-west, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on the south, Uttarakhand on the south-east and by the Tibet Autonomous Region on the east...
, and Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
.
He was born on October 1, 1928 in the village of Mehlanwali in the Yamuna Nagar district of Haryana
Haryana
Haryana is a state in India. Historically, it has been a part of the Kuru region in North India. The name Haryana is found mentioned in the 12th century AD by the apabhramsha writer Vibudh Shridhar . It is bordered by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north, and by Rajasthan to the west and south...
, and studied MA
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
and LLB at Panjab University and Kurukshetra University
Kurukshetra University
Kurukshetra University was established in 1956 in Kurukshetra in Haryana, India, situated 160 km from Delhi, and member of Association of Commonwealth Universities The Kurukshetra University was the dream of the then Punjab Governor, Sir Chandeshwar Prasad Narayan Singh, a great Sanskrit...
. He also had ancestral land at village Jamal Majra near Salehpur
Salehpur
Salehpur is a small village located in Mullana tehsil under Ambala district in Haryana state. Its population is nearabout 2200. There are authorised votes of approximately 1100. Another very small village named Jamaal Majra is also under the control of Salehpur panchayat.Currently its Sarpanch is...
on Barara-Sadhaura highway. Both these village salehpur
Salehpur
Salehpur is a small village located in Mullana tehsil under Ambala district in Haryana state. Its population is nearabout 2200. There are authorised votes of approximately 1100. Another very small village named Jamaal Majra is also under the control of Salehpur panchayat.Currently its Sarpanch is...
and Jamal majra have one common panchayat to look after developmental affairs.
Political career
Suraj Bhan Banswal, started his public life as a volunteer of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak SanghRashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or National Patriotic Organization), also known the Sangh, is a right-wing Hindu nationalist, paramilitary, volunteer, and allegedly militant organization for Hindu males in India...
and later joined it as a pracharak (fulltime worker).
He dropped his surname "Banswal" after joining active politics in 1967. He started his political career with the Bharatiya Jana Sangh
Bharatiya Jana Sangh
The Bharatiya Jana Sangh existed from 1951 to 1980, whereupon it was succeeded by the Bharatiya Janata Party, one of India's largest political parties...
which eventually became the Bharatiya Janata Party
Bharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party ,; translation: Indian People's Party) is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Indian National Congress. Established in 1980, it is India's second largest political party in terms of representation in the parliament...
. He represented Ambala
Ambala
Ambala is a city and a municipal corporation in Ambala district in the state of Haryana, India, located on the border of the states of Haryana and Punjab in India. Politically; Ambala has two sub-areas: Ambala Cantt and Ambala City, approximately 3 kilometers apart from each other...
parliamentary constituency of Haryana
Haryana
Haryana is a state in India. Historically, it has been a part of the Kuru region in North India. The name Haryana is found mentioned in the 12th century AD by the apabhramsha writer Vibudh Shridhar . It is bordered by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north, and by Rajasthan to the west and south...
in the 4th
4th Lok Sabha
List of Members of the 4th Lok Sabha, elected February–March 1967. The Lok Sabha is the lower house in the Parliament of India.-Important members:* Speaker:**N...
(1967–1970), 6th
6th Lok Sabha
The Lok Sabha is the lower house in the Parliament of India. The 6th Lok Sabha, which ran from 23 March 1977 - 22 August 1979 was elected in February and March 1977.-Important members:* Speaker:...
(1977–1979), 7th
7th Lok Sabha
List of Members of the 7th Lok Sabha, elected December 1979-January 1980. The Lok Sabha is the lower house in the Parliament of India.- Important members :* Speaker:...
(1979–1984) and the 11th Lok Sabha
11th Lok Sabha
List of Members of the 11th Lok Sabha, elected during Indian general election, 1996 held during April-May 1996. The Lok Sabha is the lower house in the Parliament of India.-Important members:* Speaker:...
s (1996–1997). In 1987, he was elected to Haryana assembly and served as Revenue Minister in Devi Lal's government between 1987 and 1989. After the BJP broke alliance with Devi Lal's party, he served as Leader of Opposition in the Haryana assembly (1989–1990). he was genius.
In 1996, he was named Agriculture minister in First Vajpayee Ministry
First Vajpayee Ministry
Atal Bihari Vajpayee was sworn in as Prime Minister of India for first time on May 1996. In his initial ministry the ministers were as follows.*Atal Bihari Vajpayee-Prime Minister...
after which he served as deputy speaker of the 11th Lok Sabha, during the United Front
United Front (India)
The United Front was a coalition government of 13 political parties formed in India after the 1996 general elections. The coalition formed two governments in India between 1996 and 1998. The government was headed by two Prime Ministers from Janata Dal - H. D. Deve Gowda, and I. K. Gujral...
government (Jul 1996 to Feb 1997). He contested 1998 Lok Sabha elections, but lost to Aman
Kumar Nagra of the BSP
Bahujan Samaj Party
The Bahujan Samaj Party is a centrist national political party in India with socialist leanings. It was formed to chiefly represent Bahujans , referring to people from the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Castes as well as Buddhists. The party claims to be inspired by the...
. Afterwards, he took over
as Governor of Uttar Pradesh (Apr 1998 - Nov 2000),
Himachal Pradesh
(Nov 2000 - May 2003), and officiated as Governor of Bihar (1999).
As acting governor of Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
in 1999, he revoked the
state minister for
Horticulture, Weights and Measures, Rakesh Kumar alias Samrat Chaudhary alias Samrat Chandra Maurya, for being "underage". While Samrat's Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) certificate, gave his age as 18, he had given his age in various other legal documents as 20 or 31. Suraj Bhan was attacked for having done this out of political vendetta against Rabri Devi
Rabri Devi
Rabri Devi served three terms as the Chief Minister, of Bihar, India, as a member of the Rashtriya Janata Dal political party, between 1997 and 2005...
's Rashtriya Janata Dal
Rashtriya Janata Dal
The Rashtriya Janata Dal is a political party in India, based in the state of Bihar. The party was founded in 1997 by Laloo Prasad Yadav. The party came about as a result of Lalu Prasad Yadav, ex-president of Janata Dal, being evicted by Sharad Yadav, the then president, on corruption charges ...
government, since Samrat's father Shakuni Chaudhary had recently defected from BJP-ally Samata Party
Samata Party
The Samata Party is a political party in India. Initially formed as an offshoot of the Janata Dal in 1994 by Nitish Kumar and George Fernandes. The reason given was that the Janata Dal had shifted to casteism...
to RJD.
In 2002 Dr Suraj Bhan also joined the race for the post of Vice-President of the country following re-thinking in the BJP over the candidature of former Rajasthan Chief Minister, Bhairon Singh Shekhawat. Certain senior Dalit leaders of the Congress unofficially conveyed that Mrs Sonia Gandhi had no objection to Dr Suraj Bhan’s candidature.
In February 2004, he was appointed as Chairman of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes
(SC/ST) Commission. He died of cardiac
arrest following multiple organ failure in August 2006 in New Delhi.
External links
- http://www.upgovernor.nic.in/bhanbio.htm