Kalpnath Rai
Encyclopedia
Shri Kalpnath Rai was a member Rajya Sabha
from 1974-80, 1980-86, 1986-92 and represented Ghosi
four times to the Lok Sabha
, he was also Minister in various Congress (I) ministries at the centre and was a senior Congress Leader.
the status of a district during his days as an MP from Ghosi.
In 1993-1994 he was minister of state for food and became controversial due to the sugar scam involving his ministry. He was jailed in connection with the scam but was later acquitted.
In 1997, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison with a fine of Rs 1 million by a Terrorist And Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act court in Delhi. He was convicted for the crime of harbouring members of the Dawood Ibrahim
gang. The court also sentenced three members of the Dawood Ibrahim gang - Subhash Singh Thakur, Jayendra Thakur and Shyam Garikapatti - who fled to Delhi after a shootout at Bombay's JJ Hospital in September 1992, to life imprisonment and a fine of Rs 1 million each .
According to the CBI
chargesheet, Kalpnath Rai, the then federal power minister, had through his assistant S P Rai arranged accommodation for Subhash Thakur and V N Rai (Rai's nephew) at the guest houses of the National Thermal Power Corporation in Delhi and Bombay Suburban Electricity Supply at Mumbai around the time of the shootout at the JJ Hospital.
Dawood's hitmen, who were convicted, were involved in the shootout. The bills for the NTPC
rooms were paid by the corporation itself.
,Kalpanath Rai was an AICC general secretary in the Indira Gandhi regime and a minister in the Narasimha Rao government.
Kalpanath Rai was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh in 1974 and had two other terms in the same House. He was also elected to the Lok Sabha four times from Ghosi. In the last Lok Sabha, Rai was elected on a Samata Party ticket but he resigned from the party and rejoined the Congress.
Known for his blunt and colourful language, Rai had good support in Ghosi which returned him to the Lok Sabha in 1996 even after he was arrested under TADA for sheltering criminals in a government guest house.
Kalpanath Rai began his career in 1963 as general secretary of the Samajwadi Yuvjan Sabha, UP. Rai, who did his M.A (English and Sociology) and LLB from Gorakhpur University, was a member of the CPP executive committee between 1974-76 and its general secretary in 1978.
Rai's stint as a union minister began in 1982 when he was made a minister of state in the Indira Gandhi government and continued till 1984. From June 1988 to December 1989, he was minister of state for Power and after being elected to the 10th Lok Sabha, he was again made minister of state for Power and non-conventional energy sources with independent charge.
In 1993-1994 he was minister of state for food and became controversial due to the sugar scam involving his ministry. He was jailed in connection with the scam but was later acquitted.
In Ghosi, Kalpnath Rai was considered one of the most strong leaders. In 1991, he was one of the rare Congressmen who survived the mandal-mandir upheavals that uprooted the party in Uttar Pradesh
; in 1996, when imprisoned under TADA
, he won as an Independent from jail; in his last election he fought the elections from the Samata Party but still went on to win the elections.
Kalpanath Rai had been highly active in the development and promotion of his home town Mau
. Meanwhile Rai is not averse to some theatre. Voice quivering with emotion, he made dramatic promises saying, "Jis maa ka doodh piya hai uski kasam khata hoon (I swear on my mother's milk)." Later he delivers a punchline borrowed from Laloo Yadav: "Tumre gaon ki sadakwa Hema malini ke galwa jaise chikna (Your roads will be as smooth as Hema Malini's cheeks)."
Rajya Sabha
The Rajya Sabha or Council of States is the upper house of the Parliament of India. Rajya means "state," and Sabha means "assembly hall" in Sanskrit. Membership is limited to 250 members, 12 of whom are chosen by the President of India for their expertise in specific fields of art, literature,...
from 1974-80, 1980-86, 1986-92 and represented Ghosi
Ghosi
Ghosi is a town and a nagar panchayat in Mau district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.-Geography:Ghosi is a city in the eastern part of the state of Uttar Pradesh in India. It is located at , and has an average elevation of 68 metres .-Demographics:'s India census, Ghosi had a population...
four times to the Lok Sabha
Lok Sabha
The Lok Sabha or House of the People is the lower house of the Parliament of India. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by direct election under universal adult suffrage. As of 2009, there have been fifteen Lok Sabhas elected by the people of India...
, he was also Minister in various Congress (I) ministries at the centre and was a senior Congress Leader.
Biography
Born on January 4, 1941, in Semari Jamalpur village of Mau district UP, Kalpnath Rai is credited of giving MauMau
Mau , formerly Mau Nath Bhanjan , nearly 90 km from Varanasi is the powerhouse of textile weavers in Eastern UP, India. It is a small industrial town on the banks of Ghaghra . The Tamasa river flows through the city...
the status of a district during his days as an MP from Ghosi.
In 1993-1994 he was minister of state for food and became controversial due to the sugar scam involving his ministry. He was jailed in connection with the scam but was later acquitted.
In 1997, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison with a fine of Rs 1 million by a Terrorist And Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act court in Delhi. He was convicted for the crime of harbouring members of the Dawood Ibrahim
Dawood Ibrahim
Dawood Ibrahim , also known as Dawood Ebrahim, and Sheikh Dawood Hassan, is the head of the organized crime syndicate [[D-Company]] in Mumbai. He is currently on the wanted list of Interpol for organised crime and counterfeiting. He was No. 4 on the Forbes' World's Top 10 most dreaded criminals...
gang. The court also sentenced three members of the Dawood Ibrahim gang - Subhash Singh Thakur, Jayendra Thakur and Shyam Garikapatti - who fled to Delhi after a shootout at Bombay's JJ Hospital in September 1992, to life imprisonment and a fine of Rs 1 million each .
According to the CBI
CBI
- Places and installations :* Cape Breton Island, part of Nova Scotia, Canada* Center for Biomedical Imaging, a research facility of Boston University Medical Center* Central Bukidnon Institute, a secondary school in the Philippines...
chargesheet, Kalpnath Rai, the then federal power minister, had through his assistant S P Rai arranged accommodation for Subhash Thakur and V N Rai (Rai's nephew) at the guest houses of the National Thermal Power Corporation in Delhi and Bombay Suburban Electricity Supply at Mumbai around the time of the shootout at the JJ Hospital.
Dawood's hitmen, who were convicted, were involved in the shootout. The bills for the NTPC
NTPC
NTPC may refer to:* Nam Theun 2 Power Company* National Thermal Power Corporation, in India* Northwest Territories Power Corporation...
rooms were paid by the corporation itself.
Death
He died in 6th of August 1999, aged 58. Rai suffered a massive heart attack on Thursday night following which he was admitted to the Ram Manohar Lohia hospital where he died at 2.45 am. He is survived by his widow, a son and four daughters.Political Career
A frontrunner from Ghosi, Uttar PradeshUttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
,Kalpanath Rai was an AICC general secretary in the Indira Gandhi regime and a minister in the Narasimha Rao government.
Kalpanath Rai was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh in 1974 and had two other terms in the same House. He was also elected to the Lok Sabha four times from Ghosi. In the last Lok Sabha, Rai was elected on a Samata Party ticket but he resigned from the party and rejoined the Congress.
Known for his blunt and colourful language, Rai had good support in Ghosi which returned him to the Lok Sabha in 1996 even after he was arrested under TADA for sheltering criminals in a government guest house.
Kalpanath Rai began his career in 1963 as general secretary of the Samajwadi Yuvjan Sabha, UP. Rai, who did his M.A (English and Sociology) and LLB from Gorakhpur University, was a member of the CPP executive committee between 1974-76 and its general secretary in 1978.
Rai's stint as a union minister began in 1982 when he was made a minister of state in the Indira Gandhi government and continued till 1984. From June 1988 to December 1989, he was minister of state for Power and after being elected to the 10th Lok Sabha, he was again made minister of state for Power and non-conventional energy sources with independent charge.
In 1993-1994 he was minister of state for food and became controversial due to the sugar scam involving his ministry. He was jailed in connection with the scam but was later acquitted.
In Ghosi, Kalpnath Rai was considered one of the most strong leaders. In 1991, he was one of the rare Congressmen who survived the mandal-mandir upheavals that uprooted the party in Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
; in 1996, when imprisoned under TADA
Tada
Tada is a town on the Chennai-Nellore highway, just over from Chennai, India and from Tirupathi. It is located in Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh and is about north of the Andhra Pradesh border. This place is the exact border of the Andhra Pradesh.Its nearest major railway station is Tada and...
, he won as an Independent from jail; in his last election he fought the elections from the Samata Party but still went on to win the elections.
Kalpanath Rai had been highly active in the development and promotion of his home town Mau
Mau
Mau , formerly Mau Nath Bhanjan , nearly 90 km from Varanasi is the powerhouse of textile weavers in Eastern UP, India. It is a small industrial town on the banks of Ghaghra . The Tamasa river flows through the city...
. Meanwhile Rai is not averse to some theatre. Voice quivering with emotion, he made dramatic promises saying, "Jis maa ka doodh piya hai uski kasam khata hoon (I swear on my mother's milk)." Later he delivers a punchline borrowed from Laloo Yadav: "Tumre gaon ki sadakwa Hema malini ke galwa jaise chikna (Your roads will be as smooth as Hema Malini's cheeks)."