Raghbir Singh (chief minister)

Raghbir Singh (1895 – January 7, 1955) was an Indian politician, freedom fighter who served as 2nd Chief Minister of erstwhile PEPSU state.[1]

Raghbir Singh
Chief Minister of PEPSU
In office
8 March 1954 – 7 January 1955
Preceded byPresident's rule
Succeeded byBrish Bhan
ConstituencyPatiala Sadar
Premier of PEPSU
In office
23 May 1951 – 21 April 1952
Preceded byGian Singh Rarewala
Succeeded byGian Singh Rarewala (as Chief Minister)
Personal details
Born1895
Lahore, Punjab Province
(now in Pakistan)
Died7 January 1955
Political partyIndian National Congress

Raghbir Singh was born in a village of the Lahore in 1895. He came from the lineage of Sardar Sahib Singh and Sardar Lakkha Singh. The two were responsible for the early upbringing and education in the use of arms of then Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Sikh Empire.[2]

He was ushered into services in Patiala State by Maharaja Bhupinder Singh where he went on to become the Inspector General of Police in 1926. Raghbir Singh played a pivotal role in bringing about a compromise between the state and Akali movement during the uprising of 1942 soon after he found the political party Lok Seva Sabha that later merged into Indian National Congress and then became the home minister in PEPSU state[3]

He was appointed as the 2nd Premier of State after the resignation of Rarewala as Premier but in the 1952 assembly election Congress failed to get a majority and Rarewala became the first Chief Minister of PEPSU. After a brief period of presidential rule in the State in 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.[4]

References

edit
  1. ^ worldstatesmen.org PEPSU
  2. ^ Biography of ex-pepsu cm to be released soon. 9 January 2021. The Tribune. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
  3. ^ "Patiala and East Punjab States Union". The Sikh Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on 21 August 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
  4. ^ Singh, Gursharan (1991). History of PEPSU, India: Patiala and East Punjab States Union, 1948-1956, Delhi: Konark Publishers, ISBN 81-220-0244-7