Raghbir Singh (chief minister)

{{short description|Indian politician (1895–1955)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2021}}

{{Use Indian English|date=March 2021}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Raghbir Singh

| image = Col. Raghbir Singh.jpg

| imagesize = 200px

| office1 = Premier of PEPSU

| term1 = 23 May 1951 – 21 April 1952

| predecessor1 = Gian Singh Rarewala

| successor1 = Gian Singh Rarewala {{small|(as Chief Minister)}}

| office = Chief Minister of the Patiala and East Punjab States Union

| term = 8 March 1954 – 7 January 1955

| predecessor = President's rule

| successor = Brish Bhan

| constituency = Patiala Sadar

| birth_date = 1895

| birth_place = Lahore, Punjab Province
(now in Pakistan)

| death_date = 7 January 1955

| party = Indian National Congress

| children = Amarjit Kaur

}}

Raghbir Singh (1895 – January 7, 1955) was an Indian politician and freedom fighter who served as 2nd Chief Minister of the former state of the Patiala and East Punjab States Union (PESPU).[http://www.worldstatesmen.org/India_states.html#PEPSU worldstatesmen.org PEPSU]

Raghbir Singh was born in a village of the Lahore in 1895.{{Cite web |date=8 January 2021 |title=Biography of ex-PEPSU CM Col Raghbir Singh to be released soon |url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/chandigarh/biography-of-ex-pepsu-cm-to-be-released-soon-196006?from=mdr |access-date=17 April 2025 |website=The Tribune}} His lineage included Sardar Sahib Singh and Sardar Lakkha Singh, who were responsible for the early upbringing and education in the use of arms of Maharaja Ranjit Singh of the Sikh Empire.[https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/patiala/biography-of-ex-pepsu-cm-col-raghbir-singh-to-be-released-soon-196006 Biography of ex-pepsu cm to be released soon]. 9 January 2021. The Tribune. Retrieved 13 March 2021.

Singh was introduced into the services of Patiala State by Maharaja Bhupinder Singh and in 1926, he become the Inspector General of Police. Singh played a pivotal role in bringing about a compromise between Patiala Sate and the Akali movement during the uprising of 1942, and he later founded the Lok Sewak Sabha political party. Lok Sewak Sabha later merged into the Indian National Congress and he eventually became the home minister of PEPSU state.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thesikhencyclopedia.com/other-historical-places/punjab/patiala-and-east-punjab-states-union|title=Patiala and East Punjab States Union|publisher=The Sikh Encyclopedia|access-date=13 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170821125923/https://www.thesikhencyclopedia.com/other-historical-places/punjab/patiala-and-east-punjab-states-union|archive-date=21 August 2017|url-status=dead}}

He was appointed as the 2nd Premier of PEPSU after the resignation of Gian Singh Rarewala as Premier; however, in the 1952 assembly election, the Congress failed to get a majority and Rarewala became the first Chief Minister of PEPSU.{{Cite news |last=Singh |first=IP |date=15 June 2024 |title=Akali Dal and Jan Sangh-BJP: Long history as adversaries & friends |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/akali-dal-and-jan-singh-bjp-long-history-as-adversaries-friends/articleshow/110703828.cms |access-date=17 April 2025 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}} After a brief period of President's rule in the state, in the 1954 assembly election, Congress got a majority and he became the 2nd Chief Minister of State and held the office till his death on 7 January 1955.Singh, Gursharan (1991). History of PEPSU, India: Patiala and East Punjab States Union, 1948-1956, Delhi: Konark Publishers, {{ISBN|81-220-0244-7}} His daughter, Amarjit Kaur, was a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha and married Kunwar Devinder Singh, son of Bhupinder Singh.{{Cite web |date=24 March 2019 |title=Captain’s uncle passes away |url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/archive/punjab/captain%E2%80%99s-uncle-passes-away-747770 |access-date=12 April 2025 |website=The Tribune}}