Dharam Singh

{{Infobox officeholder

| nickname = Ajatashatru

| education ={{plainlist|

}}

| residence = Bangalore,
New Delhi

| name = Dharam Singh

| image = Dharam Singh.jpg

| office4 = Minister of Public Works Department
Government of Karnataka

| term_start4 = 1999

| term_end4 = 2004

| successor4 = H. D. Revanna

| office5 = Leader of the Opposition, Karnataka Legislative Assembly

| term_start5 = 2006

| term_end5 = 2007

| predecessor5 = B. S. Yediyurappa

| successor5 = Mallikarjun Kharge

| office = 11th Chief Minister of Karnataka

| term_start = 28 May 2004

| term_end = 28 January 2006

| predecessor = S. M. Krishna

| successor = H. D. Kumaraswamy

| office1 = Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha

| constituency1 = Bidar

| term_start1 = 2009

| term_end1 = 2014

| successor1 = Bhagwanth Khuba

| predecessor1 = Narsingrao Suryawanshi

| constituency2 = Gulbarga

| term_start2 = 1980

| term_end2 = 1980

| successor2 = C. M. Stephen

| predecessor2 = Sidram Reddi

| office3 = Member of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly

| constituency3 = Jevargi

| term_start3 = 1972

| term_end3 = 2008

| successor3 = Doddappagouda Patil

| predecessor3 = S. Siddramgouda

| party = Indian National Congress

| birth_name = Dharam Narayan Singh

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1936|12|25|df=y}}

| birth_place = Nelogi, Hyderabad State, British India (present{{endash}}day Karnataka, India)

| death_date = {{death date and age|2017|07|27|1936|12|25|df=y}}

| death_place = Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

| children = 3, including Ajay Singh

| father = Narayan Singh

| mother = Padmavathi Singh

| spouse = {{marriage|Prabhavati|1970}}

| alma_mater = Osmania University

| resting_place = Nelogi

}}

Dharam Narayan Singh (25 December 1936 – 27 July 2017) was an Indian politician who served as the 11th Chief Minister of Karnataka from

28 May 2004 to 28 January 2006 and Member of the Lok Sabha from Bidar Lok Sabha constituency, in 15th Lok Sabha from 2009 to 2014.

He belonged to the Indian National Congress. He was the 18th President of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee and he was the nine-term Member of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly from Jevaragi constituency.

Early life and family

Dharam Singh was born in Nelogi village of Jevargi taluk (in Kalaburagi district of the Karnataka).{{cite web|url=http://www.karnataka.com/govt/chief-minister/dharam-singh.shtml|title= 'Invincible Man' (often referred to as Ajat Shatru in State Politics) Dharam Singh|work=Karnataka.com|publisher=Karnataka.com|access-date=2007-07-08 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070810094653/http://www.karnataka.com/govt/chief-minister/dharam-singh.shtml |archive-date = 2007-08-10}} He was from Rajput family,{{Cite web|date=2017-07-28|title=N Dharam Singh: 'A simple politician with no enemies'|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/n-dharam-singh-a-simple-politician-with-no-enemies-ajatshatru-4770673/|access-date=2020-08-21|website=The Indian Express|language=en}} who are minority community in Karnataka.{{Cite web|title=Dharam Singh Was The 'Ajatashatru' Of Karnataka Politics|url=https://www.ndtv.com/people/n-dharam-singh-was-the-ajatashatru-of-karnataka-politics-1730128|access-date=2020-08-21|website=NDTV.com}} He obtained his master's and law degrees from Osmania University, Hyderabad.{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ddexxv7dpMoC&q=dharam+singh+osmania+university |title=March of Karnataka |date=2006 |publisher=Director of Information and Publicity, Government of Karnataka |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2007-09-16 |title=Alumni Information |url=https://www.osmania.ac.in/Alumni/AlumniMain/00114.htm }}

Political career

Singh began his career in politics as an Independent Corporator in the Kalaburagi district City Municipal Council by contesting against his own brother. He started his political career as a socialist.{{citation needed|date=April 2018}} He was brought up under the influence of Bhim Sena founder B. Shyam Sunder who was a legislator to Hyderabad State and served as its Deputy speaker. He was the Secretary of Hyderabad Karnataka Youth League,{{citation needed|date=April 2018}} and his election agent in 1957, and issued a pamphlet in Urdu to vote in his favour.

In the late 1960s, he joined the Indian National Congress and his loyalty made him a strong contender for the post of Chief Minister in 2004.{{citation needed|date=April 2018}}

He gave up the Kalaburgi Lok Sabha seat of which he was the Member of Parliament to accommodate C.M. Stephen, who was a Union Minister in the Indira Gandhi Cabinet, in 1980 on Indira Gandhi's directions.{{cite web|title=Kalaburgi elected Indira Gandhi's close aide 'Stephen'|url=http://news.webindia123.com/news/articles/India/20090405/1218018.html|access-date=30 April 2012|archive-date=2 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170802130741/https://news.webindia123.com/news/articles/India/20090405/1218018.html|url-status=dead}}

He has served as a minister under various chief ministers such as Devaraj Urs, R. Gundu Rao, S. Bangarappa, M. Veerappa Moily and S. M. Krishna, and has handled diverse portfolios such as Home, Excise, Social Welfare, Urban Development and Revenue. He was KPCC president in the 1990s when his party was out of power. At that time, the Congress' national leadership was headed by Sitaram Kesri, of whom Singh was said to be a favourite. He lost out to his senior colleague S. M. Krishna in the race to the Chief Minister's post in 1999.{{citation needed|date=April 2018}} Then, he joined the Krishna ministry and handled the Public Works Department portfolio.{{citation needed|date=April 2018}}

When the 2004 state elections resulted in a hung assembly with no party getting enough seats to form a government, the Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) (JD(S)) parties decided to come together and form a coalition government. Known for his adaptability and friendly nature and his close political ties with H. D. Deve Gowda, Dharam Singh was the unanimous choice of both parties to head the government.{{cite news|title=Dharam Singh chosen leader of CLP|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Dharam-Singh-chosen-leader-of-CLP/articleshow/696201.cms|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130103065155/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2004-05-24/india/28342365_1_clp-meeting-congress-legislature-party-leader|url-status=live|archive-date=3 January 2013|newspaper=The Times of India|date=24 May 2004}} He was sworn in as Chief Minister on 28 May 2004.{{cite news|title=Dharam Singh, Siddaramaiah sworn in|url=http://www.hindu.com/2004/05/29/stories/2004052908340100.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040704060459/http://www.hindu.com/2004/05/29/stories/2004052908340100.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 July 2004|newspaper=The Hindu|date=29 May 2004}} He was the second leader from Kalaburgi to become Chief Minister after Veerendra Patil. For almost 20 months, he led the fragile coalition through many ups and downs.

He was criticised for not being assertive in the sense of coming from minority community and further allowing the JD(S) supremo to join hands, which was their junior partner in coalition to call the shots in the government.{{cite news|title=As Dharam Singh fights to keep his chair, Deve Gowda calls shots in Karnataka|url=http://www.indianexpress.com/oldStory/80451/|newspaper=The Indian Express|date=21 October 2005}} He left office on 3 February 2006 after the collapse of the Coalition government formed by the Congress (I) due to a defection in the JD(S) engineered by H.D. Kumaraswamy, who succeeded him as Chief Minister, leading a new coalition with the BJP.{{cite web|title=Dharam Singh resigns as Karnataka CM|url=http://www.rediff.com/news/2006/jan/28ktaka1.htm}}

During the tenure of H.D. Kumaraswamy, Dharam Singh was the Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly.{{cite news|title=Dharam Singh will be Leader of the Opposition: Kharge|url=http://www.hindu.com/2006/01/31/stories/2006013103660400.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070608051834/http://www.hindu.com/2006/01/31/stories/2006013103660400.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=8 June 2007|newspaper=The Hindu|date=31 January 2006}} However, in the 2008 state elections he was defeated by a political lightweight, Doddappagouda Patil Naribol of the BJP, by a slim margin of 52 postal votes.{{cite news|title=Dharam Singh's defeat stuns admirers|url=http://www.hindu.com/2008/05/26/stories/2008052656490400.htm|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130125094701/http://www.hindu.com/2008/05/26/stories/2008052656490400.htm|url-status=dead|newspaper=The Hindu|date=2008-05-26|archive-date=2013-01-25}} In the Lok Sabha elections held in May 2009, he contested the Bidar Lok Sabha constituency and emerged victorious against his former colleague Gurupadappa Nagmarpalli of the BJP by a huge margin of 92,222 votes.{{cite web|title=Dharam singh wins from Bidar|url=http://www.newstrackindia.com/newsdetails/98309}} However, Dharam Singh had to bite dust in 2014 Lok Sabha election when he lost to Bhagwant Khuba by over a lakh votes, which ended his political career.

Death

He died on 27 July 2017 due to cardiac arrest in Bengaluru, aged 80. He was cremated with State Honours and by Rajput Tradition.{{Cite web|date=2017-07-29|title=Dharam Singh cremated with full state honours at his birthplace|url=https://www.deccanherald.com/content/625299/dharam-singh-cremated-full-state.html|access-date=2020-08-21|website=Deccan Herald|language=en}}

Positions held

1967: Councillor, Gulbarga City Municipal Council
1972–2008: Member of Karnataka Legislative Assembly
Member of State Backward Classes Commission
Minister for Urban Development, Karnataka
Minister for Home & Excise, Karnataka
Minister for Revenue and Social Welfare
KPCC President
1999-2004: Minister for Public works, Karnataka
also PWD minister of Karnataka state
2004-2006: Chief Minister of Karnataka
2006-2007: Leader of Opposition, Karnataka Legislative Assembly
2009-2014: Member Of Parliament

Criticism and controversy

The Karnataka Lokayukta Justice Nitte Santosh Hegde in 2008 has found Dharam Singh and 11 other officials guilty of causing a loss to the State exchequer owing to irregularities in the mining sector. The Lokayukta report indicted him for causing a loss of Rs. 23.22 crore. According to the report, Dharam Singh is at fault for allowing illegal mining in "patta" lands.{{cite news| url=http://www.hindu.com/2008/12/23/stories/2008122360020400.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514092851/http://www.hindu.com/2008/12/23/stories/2008122360020400.htm | url-status=dead | archive-date=14 May 2011 | location=Chennai, India | work=The Hindu | title=Lokayutka report indicts Dharam Singh, 11 officials | date=23 December 2008}} The Lokayukta had also asked for the amount caused as loss to be recovered from Dharam Singh.{{cite news | url=http://www.hindu.com/fline/fl2603/stories/20090213260304000.htm | location=Chennai, India | work=The Hindu | title=Mines of scandal | access-date=16 February 2011 | archive-date=8 November 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108205313/http://www.hindu.com/fline/fl2603/stories/20090213260304000.htm | url-status=dead }}

References

External links

[https://web.archive.org/web/20051226141751/http://kar.nic.in/kla/cm.htm Karnataka CM's Profile]
[http://www.karnataka.com/watch/dharamsingh/ Dharam Singh Watch]

{{s-ttl|title=Member of Parliament
for Bidar |years=2009 – 2014}}

{{s-ttl|title=Chief Minister of Karnataka|years=28 May 2004 – 28 January 2006}}

Category:1936 births

Category:2017 deaths

Category:Chief ministers of Karnataka

Category:People from Bidar district

Category:People from Kalaburagi district

Category:India MPs 1980–1984

Category:India MPs 2009–2014

Category:Lok Sabha members from Karnataka

Category:Leaders of the opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly

Category:Chief ministers from Indian National Congress