Alok Mishra
Patna: Veteran Socialist leader and former Union Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh (74) died due to COVID-19 at AIIMS, Delhi, on September 13, 2020. Raghuvansh Babu, also known as Brahma Baba of politics, was on life support system for past four days. Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar have condoled the death of Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, who hailed from Vaishali District.
Shah said Raghuvansh Prasad Singh’s dedication towards the welfare of the poor and deprived classes will be remembered forever. “I am deeply saddened by the death of senior Bihar politician Raghuvansh Babu. His entire life was devoted to the ideas of Lohia ji and Karpoori Thakur ji. His dedication to the welfare of the poor and deprived class will always be remembered. I express my condolences to his family. Om Shanti,” Shah said in a tweet.
Entire political circle in Bihar was shocked on the death of Raghuvansh Prasad Singh. CM Nitish Kumar mourned him describing him as a great socialist leader. RJD supremo Lalu Prasad, in his tweet, said, “Dear Raghuvansh Babu, what have you done? I told you a day before, you are not going anywhere but you have gone so far. I am very sad and have nothing to say. I will miss you a lot.”Raghuvansh Prasad Singh had resigned from the RJD recently. his condolence message, RJD leader Tejaswi Yadav said that his absence would be felt in the party. In his tweet, Tejaswi said that Raghuvans babu was like his guardian.
Raghuvansh Babu was fond of reading and living among people from the beginning. He became a politician later and after receiving doctorate degree from the erstwhile Bihar University, taught mathematics at a Sitamarhi college. He went to jail in connection with different agitations. He was imprisoned for first time in 1970 during Teachers’ Movement. After that when he came in contact with Karpoori Thakur. He again went to jail in 1973 during United Socialist Party movement.
Raghuvansh Prasad Singh became MLA in 1977. He supported Lalu Prasad after the death of noted Socialist leader and former Bihar CM Karpoori Thakur. From here Lalu and Raghuvansh babu became close friends. In 1990 assembly polls, he lost to Digvijay Pratap Singh of Congress from Belsand assembly cosntituency in Sitamarhi District. He represented Belsand constituency five times.
He contested Lok Sabha elections in 1996 from Vaishali seat in Bihar and won the seat defeating with Brishen Patel of Samata Party. He was Union Minister three times and was Rural Development Minister in UPA -1 regime. He had lost 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls from Vaishali parliamentary. He was also minister in Janata Dal Government and was a former Chairman of Bihar Legislative Council.