Himachal Pradesh minister booked for ‘assaulting' NHAI officials: Who is Anirudh Singh?
On Wednesday, Singh denied the allegations and maintained that NHAI officials had lodged a complaint against him only to cover up their negligence. 'At least 700 complaints are pending against NHAI employees and officials for damaging private properties under the garb of widening roads across the state,' he said.
A scion of the erstwhile princely state of Koti, till recently, Singh was considered one of the contenders for the post of state Congress chief. However, insiders said he was unlikely to helm the state unit as the party is keen to elevate a Dalit leader.
The 48-year-old Singh, whom Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu wanted in his Cabinet and was given the key Rural Development and Panchayati Raj portfolio, completed his schooling in the prestigious St Edward's School in Shimla. A graduate from Himachal University, he began his political career with the Youth Congress in 1998. In 2011, he was elected Zila Parishad member from Chamyana, incidentally the place where he allegedly assaulted the NHAI officials. Chamyana falls under the Kasumpti Assembly seat that Singh has retained since winning it for the first time in 2012.
Ahead of his induction into the Cabinet in 2022, Singh was appointed All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretary and was made the party's co-incharge for Assam in 2021.
A political firebrand, Singh is known for making statements that appear to go against the party line. After the Sanjauli mosque row erupted last September, he vocally advocated for the rights of Himachalis on the floor of the House, 'People from one community have been living in large numbers for a long time in areas such as Nahan, Chamba, Paonta Sahib, and Kasumpti. No such incidents happened in the past. We need to find the reason why they are occurring now. New people are entering the state. Koi Jamaat wale aa rahe hain, jinka koi ata-pata nahi hai. Kya ye Rohingya musalman hai (People from a certain Muslim sect are arriving here about whom we have no information. Are these Rohingya Muslims)? I request that the respected CM verify them. I know of at least two people who are from Bangladesh. Their verification should also be done.'
A Congress worker from Kasumpti said Singh could go to any extent for his constituents. 'His stand in support of Himachalis and doubts over the presence of outsiders and Bangladeshis in Shimla drew applause even from BJP MLAs,' he said, adding that the minister's remarks had struck a chord with many people across the state.
Ahead of the Ram Temple consecration in Ayodhya in January 2024, Singh's nuanced political positioning was on display. Days before state PWD Minister Vikramaditya Singh went against the party line and publicly expressed interest in attending the ceremony, the minister spelt out his plans to hold a religious event in Shimla and support people from his constituency who planned to visit the temple.
Even as he stressed that his participation would be finalised after consultations with party workers, Singh targeted the BJP for 'politicising a religious occasion'.
According to his election affidavit, Singh has assets worth more than Rs 16 crore and four pending cases against him.
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