Arjun Singh (Madhya Pradesh politician) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Arjun Singh
Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha
In office 3 April 2000 (2000-04-03) – 4 March 2011 (2011-03-04)
Constituency	Madhya Pradesh
Minister of Human Resource Development
In office 22 May 2004 (2004-05-22) – 22 May 2009 (2009-05-22)
Prime Minister	Manmohan Singh
Preceded by	Murli Manohar Joshi
Succeeded by	Kapil Sibal
In office 23 June 1991 (1991-06-23) – 24 December 1994 (1994-12-24)
Prime Minister	Pamulaparthi Venkata Narasimha Rao
Preceded by	Rajmangal Pandey
Succeeded by	Pamulaparthi Venkata Narasimha Rao
Leader of the House in Lok Sabha
In office July 10, 1991 (1991-07-10) – November 20, 1991 (1991-11-20)
Prime Minister	Pamulaparthi Venkata Narasimha Rao
Preceded by	Chandra Shekhar
Succeeded by	Pamulaparthi Venkata Narasimha Rao
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
In office 1991 (1991)–1996 (1996)
Preceded by	Sukhendra Singh
Succeeded by	Sukhlal Kushwaha
Constituency	Satna
In office 1985 (1985)–1988 (1988)
Preceded by	Lalit Maken
Succeeded by	Constituency vacant
Constituency	South Delhi
12th Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh
In office 14 February 1988 (1988-02-14) – 23 January 1989 (1989-01-23)
Preceded by	Motilal Vora
Succeeded by	Motilal Vora
In office 9 June 1980 (1980-06-09) – 12 March 1985 (1985-03-12)
Preceded by	President's rule
Succeeded by	Motilal Vora
Minister of Communications
In office 22 October 1986 (1986-10-22) – 13 February 1988 (1988-02-13)
Prime Minister	Rajiv Gandhi
Preceded by	Ram Niwas Mirdha
Succeeded by	Vasant Sathe
Minister of Commerce
In office 15 November 1985 (1985-11-15) – 20 January 1986 (1986-01-20)
Prime Minister	Rajiv Gandhi
Preceded by	Vishwanath Pratap Singh
Succeeded by	Punjala Shiv Shankar
16th Governor of Punjab
In office 14 March 1985 (1985-03-14) – 14 November 1985 (1985-11-14)
President	Giani Zail Singh
Preceded by	Kershasp Tehmurasp Satarawala
Succeeded by	Hokishe Sema
Member of Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly
In office 1990 (1990)–1991 (1991)
Preceded by	Ajay Singh
Succeeded by	Ajay Singh
Constituency	Churhat
In office 1988 (1988)–1990 (1990)
Preceded by	Laxmi Patel
Succeeded by	Nand Kumar Patel
Constituency	Kharsia
In office 1977 (1977)–1985 (1985)
Preceded by	Chandra Pratap Tiwari
Succeeded by	Ajay Singh
Constituency	Churhat
In office 1972 (1972)–1977 (1977)
Preceded by	KP Singh
Succeeded by	Indrajeet Patel
Constituency	Sidhi
In office 1967 (1967)–1972 (1972)
Preceded by	Ranvijaya Pratap Singh
Succeeded by	Ranvijaya Pratap Singh
Constituency	Umaria
In office 1957 (1957)–1967 (1967)
Preceded by	Constituency established
Succeeded by	Constituency dissolved
Constituency	Majholi
Personal details
Born	(1930-11-05)5 November 1930 Churhat, Bagelkhand Agency, British India
Died	4 March 2011(2011-03-04) (aged 80) New Delhi, India
Political party	Independent (1957-1960) Indian National Congress (1960-1996, 1998-2011) All India Indira Congress (Tiwari) (1996-1998)
Spouse	Saroj Kumari
Children	Ajay Singh Abhimanyu Singh Veena Singh
Alma mater	Allahabad University

Arjun Singh was an important Indian politician. He was born on November 5, 1930, and passed away on March 4, 2011. He belonged to the Indian National Congress party. He served as the top leader, called Chief Minister, for the state of Madhya Pradesh two times in the 1980s.

He also worked as a Minister of Human Resource Development for the whole country. He did this under Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and P. V. Narasimha Rao. He is well-known for helping to create a system where 27% of seats in colleges like IITs and IIMs were set aside for students from Other Backward Classes. This was done through a special law to help more students get a good education.

Early Life and Education

Arjun Singh was born on November 5, 1930. His family was from a place called Churhat. His father, Shiv Bahadur Singh, was also a politician. Arjun Singh studied law at Rewa Darbar College. He was even the student president there in 1953.

Political Career Highlights

Arjun Singh started his political journey in 1957. He was first elected to the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly. He joined the Indian National Congress party in 1960. He became a minister in the state government in 1962.

He became the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh in 1980. This was a very important role. During his time as Chief Minister, the Bhopal Gas Tragedy happened. This was a very sad event.

In 1985, he became the Governor of Punjab. He worked to bring peace to Punjab. After this, he became a minister in the national government. He served as Minister of Commerce. He was also Minister of Communications.

He became Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh again in 1988. He later resigned from this role. In 1991, he was elected to the Lok Sabha, which is a part of India's Parliament. He then became the Minister of Human Resource Development.

Key Contributions to Education

Arjun Singh played a big role in education. As Minister of Human Resource Development, he worked to make education more fair. He helped pass a law to set aside 27% of seats in top colleges for students from Other Backward Classes (OBCs). These colleges included famous ones like IITs, NITs, and IIMs.

This decision was made to help more students from these groups get a chance at higher education. There were some protests about this in 2006. However, in 2008, the Supreme Court of India supported the law. They said that the "creamy layer" (families with higher incomes) among OBCs should not get this benefit. This was to ensure the help went to those who needed it most.

Arjun Singh taking charge as Union Minister for Human Resource Development in New Delhi, 2004

Later Years and Passing

Arjun Singh was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2000. This is the other part of India's Parliament. He was re-elected in 2006. He continued to serve as the Minister of Human Resource Development until 2009.

He received the Outstanding Parliamentarian Award in 2000. This award is given to politicians who do excellent work in Parliament. Arjun Singh passed away on March 4, 2011, at the age of 80. He died in New Delhi due to a heart attack. He was buried in his hometown of Churhat.

Family Life

Arjun Singh was married to Saroj Kumari. They had three children. His son, Ajay Singh, is also a politician. He was a leader in the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly. Arjun Singh's grandson, Arunoday Singh, is a Bollywood actor.

His other grandson, Yuvaraja Aishwarya Singh, is married to Devyani Rana. She is from the royal family of Nepal.

Positions Held by Arjun Singh

• 1957 - 1985: Member, Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly
• 1963 - 1967: Minister of State for Agriculture and Information, Government of Madhya Pradesh
• 1967: Minister of Planning and Development, Government of Madhya Pradesh
• 1972 - 1977: Minister of Education, Government of Madhya Pradesh
• 1977 - 1980: Leader of Opposition, Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly
• 1980 - 1985: Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh
• 1985: Governor of Punjab
• 1985 - 1988: Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
• 1985 - 1986: Minister of Commerce, Government of India
• 1986 - 1988: Minister of Communications, Government of India
• 1988 - 1991: Member, Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly
• 1988 - 1989: Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh
• 1991 - 1996: Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
• 1991 - 1994: Minister of Human Resource Development, Government of India
• 2000 - 2011: Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha
• 2004 - 2009: Minister of Human Resource Development, Government of India

See Also

• 2006 Indian anti-reservation protests
• Reservation in India
• Forward caste