Bihar boasts one of India’s most fascinating political histories. As the polls are underway in the state, The Indian Express is publishing a series of articles narrating the history of politics in Bihar during the tenure of its 23 chief ministers. This article tells the story of Sin Sinha, the 19th ruler of Bihar.
When the Prime Minister Bhagwat Jha Azad had to step down amid infighting in the CongressHe supported Satyendra Narain Sinha as his successor. Because of his stint with the Janata Party through the Congress(O), Sinha was well connected among the opposition leaders as well. He was finally chosen as Prime Minister by Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi himself.
The change was not limited to the Prime Minister. The party completely renewed the state’s unity and mechanisms.
On March 3, 1989, the change began with Governor and former Rajasthan Chief Minister Jagannath Pahadiya replacing R D Pradhan in the chair. Jagannath Mishra replaced Tariq Anwar as Bihar Congress president. All seven Union ministers from Bihar have also been asked to resign as well as AICC treasurer Sitaram Kesri.
Not only that, to revamp the ACC in charge of Bihar, Rajiv Gandhi brought in Anantha Ramulu Malla, the Lok Sabha MP from Nagarkurnool, as general secretary in the Char. Like some of his predecessors, Sinha’s election as leader of the Congress Legislative Party was also a “consensus”.
Sinha, a Gandhian and freedom fighter, then 70 years old, was sworn in as Prime Minister on March 11, 1989.
Political life of SN Sinha
SN Sinha was the son of the state’s first vice president, Anugrah Narain Sinha. He was elected to the Lok Sabha first in 1952 and then in 1957 from Aurangabad on a Congress ticket. After serving two terms in the Bihar Assembly, he again made it to the Lok Sabha. During the Congress split in 1969, he went with the Congress(O) and was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1971 on its ticket. In 1977 and 1980, he fought on a Janata Party ticket. But before the 1984 Lok Sabha elections, he returned to Congress and was elected from the same seat.
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The Prime Minister’s chair had come to him on several previous occasions as well, but he eventually escaped.
For a few months before becoming chief minister, he had been traveling the blood-stained districts of central Bihar affected by caste violence, asking upper-caste zamindars to treat Harijans and other deprived sections equally.
After taking oath as Prime Minister, he resigned from the Lok Sabha and entered the Legislative Council.
Duration of CM position
As Chief Minister, Sinha was unable to effectively address the ongoing violence and unrest in the interior areas of the state. The 1989 Bhagalpur riots, which saw more than 1,000 people killed, and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha agitation were reasons that changed the loyalties of the Congress’ traditional voting base, such as Muslims and tribals. Most OBC communities were opposed to it anyway.
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Lok Sabha elections were held at the end of November 1989. In Bihar, the Congress won only four of the 54 seats (it had won 48 in 1984) with VP Singh’s newly formed Janata Dal winning 32 seats and the BJP winning eight. Vice President Singh replaced Rajiv Gandhi as Prime Minister on 2 December 1989.
In Bihar, even the chief minister’s family has suffered setbacks. Sinha’s wife Kishori Sinha lost from Vaishali (she won in 1980 on a Janata Party ticket and in 1984 on a Congress ticket), his daughter-in-law Shyama Sinha lost from their home in Aurangabad, and Shyama Sinha’s mother Madhuri Singh, who had won the Purnia Lok Sabha seat in 1980 and 1984, also lost in 1989.
The Congress leadership was stunned. The work was fast.
Sinha was appointed Prime Minister nine months ago also with an eye on Rajput votes. However, all the Rajput candidates fielded by the Congress lost in Bihar. This was enough to hold him responsible.
Within four days of Vice President Singh being sworn in as Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi asked Sinha to resign. On December 6, Jagannath Mishra, who had aspired to the position for many years, was again sworn in to replace Sinha. Sinha died in December 2006 at the age of 89.
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Sinha was also a member of the provisional Parliament in 1950.
Sinha’s legacy lives on thanks to his family, which is well connected in politics and public life. In 1999, his daughter-in-law Shyama Sinha won again from Aurangabad, and in 2004, his son, retired IPS officer Nikhil Kumar, won it again, both on a Congress ticket. Shyama Sinha’s elder brother is former IAS officer and former Rajya Sabha MP NK Singh. Her younger brother Uday Singh Purnia also represented the Lok Sabha twice on a BJP ticket. Uday Singh is now the president of Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraj Party.
