R. K. Singh

For other people named Raj Kumar Singh, see Raj Kumar Singh (disambiguation).

Raj Kumar Singh
Minister of Power and
Minister of New and Renewable Energy
In office
3 September 2017 – 11 June 2024
Prime MinisterNarendra Modi
Preceded byPiyush Goyal
Succeeded byManohar Lal Khattar
Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
In office
31 May 2019 – 7 July 2021
Prime MinisterNarendra Modi
Preceded byAnantkumar Hegde
Succeeded byRajeev Chandrasekhar
Member of Parliament in Lok Sabha
In office
16 May 2014 – 4 June 2024
Prime MinisterNarendra Modi
Preceded byMeena Singh
Succeeded bySudama Prasad
ConstituencyArrah
Home Secretary of India
In office
30 June 2011 – 30 June 2013
Prime MinisterManmohan Singh
Preceded byG.K. Pillai
Succeeded byAnil Goswami
Personal details
Born (1952-12-20) 20 December 1952
Supaul, Bihar, India
PartyBharatiya Janata Party
(2013-2025)
Spouse
Sheila Singh
​
(m. 1975)​
Children2
Residence(s)Patna, Bihar, India
New Delhi, India
Alma materSt. Stephen's College, Delhi (BA)
Delhi University
Magadh University (LLB)
Delft University of Technology, Netherlands

Raj Kumar Singh (born 20 December 1952) is a former Indian bureaucrat and former Union Cabinet Minister in the Government of India (2014 - 2024). He was the Member of the Indian Parliament for Arrah, Bihar, from May 2014 to 4 June 2024. Singh is a 1975 batch Bihar cadre Indian Administrative Service officer and former Home Secretary of India.[1]

On 3 September 2017, he was appointed the Minister of Power (Independent Charge) in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cabinet.[2] On 30 May 2019, he was appointed Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Power, Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and Minister of State in the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Government of India.

On 7 July 2021, he was elevated to the rank of Cabinet minister.

Early life and education

Singh was born in Supaul in a Rajput[3] family in Bihar. He gained a Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) degree in English Literature, an LL.B. and a diploma in Management. He was educated at St. Stephen's College, Delhi, Magadh University and Delft University of Technology, Netherlands.

Bureaucrat career

He was the district magistrate in East Champaran and Patna in the 1980s before joining the state home department in 1997.[2]

On 30 October 1990, R.K. Singh, who was then posted as Registrar Cooperatives, Govt. of Bihar in Patna, was asked to arrest Advani in Samastipur,[4] while Advani's Ram Rath Yatra was en route to Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh from Somnath in Gujarat. For this Mr. Singh was empowered through a special order by the then Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav and sent on deputation to Samastipur as Additional Magistrate.[5] The arrest was made by order of the Lalu Prasad Yadav government.[6] The complete operation was so secret that even the then DM and SP of Samastipur were not aware about the arrest plan.[4]

During the Nitish Kumar government's first term (2004–2009), Singh, as principal secretary in the road construction department, played an important role in improving the condition of roads in Bihar.[7][8] In the National Democratic Alliance-led government, the then Home Minister, Advani, selected Singh to work as joint secretary in the Home Ministry for five years from 1999 to 2004.[9] R.K. Singh was Union Home Secretary of India from 30 June 2011 to 30 June 2013, after that he retired from service.[10][11][12][13][14] In 2013, Singh was tipped to be adviser (infrastructure) in the Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government, a post created through cabinet approval. However, he did not accept the assignment.[15]

Before his appointment as Union home Secretary, Union Defence Minister A. K. Antony had picked Singh to head the department of defence production in 2009 in view of his clean reputation.[16][17] Singh was chosen by the then Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram for his efficiency and no-nonsense attitude. Known to be a tough taskmaster, Chidambaram got along well with Singh at a professional level. However, Singh had several run-ins with Chidambaram's successor, Sushilkumar Shinde, who was not happy with the home secretary's handling of the situation following 16 December 2012 Delhi gang rape.[18]

It was during the tenure of R.K. Singh as the Union home secretary that 26/11 Mumbai attack terrorist Ajmal Kasab and Parliament attack case convict Afzal Guru were hanged.[19]

R.K. Singh after retirement also revealed Shinde's involvement in the IPL Spot-fixing[20] case and how Shinde had interfered in that investigation. Shinde also met the accused Shahid Balwa at his North Block office even after R.K. Singh's statements regarding Shinde's involvement in the IPL spot-fixing case.[21]

Political career

There was speculation that Singh would contest from the Bihar constituencies of either Arrah or Supaul in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, though Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh objected to him contesting from Supaul.[27] On 13 December 2013, Singh joined the BJP.[28][29] He contested the election as a BJP candidate in Arrah, beating his nearest rival, Sribhagwan Singh Kushwaha of RJD by a margin of over 1,35,000 votes.[33]

In the 2019 General Elections conducted for the formation of the 17th Lok Sabha, he again contested from Arrah and retained his seat becoming the first MP from Arrah since Chandradeo Prasad Verma to retain his seat in successive elections. He defeated his nearest rival Raju Yadav of CPI (ML) Liberation by 1,47,285 votes.[34]

On 3 September 2017, Mr. Singh was appointed Minister of Power (Independent Charge) and Minister of New and Renewable Energy (Independent Charge) by Narendra Modi. This post was previously held by Piyush Goyal.[2]

In May 2019, Singh was appointed Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Power and New and Renewable Energy and Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.[35]

In the 2024 Indian general election he lost his MP seat from Arrah, Bihar to Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation candidate Sudama Prasad by the margin of 59808 votes.[36]

In September 2025, Singh claimed that his 2024 loss was due to a conspiracy by several BJP and JD(U) leaders, stating that the BJP had ignored his concerns about independent candidate Pawan Singh contesting against him and that several sitting MLAs and MLCs from the two parties had campaigned against him.[37][38] Later that month, he again came into conflict with the party leadership after asking Bihar deputy chief minister Samrat Choudhary (BJP) to either step down or respond to allegations made by Jan Suraaj party leader Prashant Kishor that Choudhary had lied about his age to avoid prosecution in a 1995 murder case and had also misrepresented his educational qualifications on election affidavits.[38][39][40]

In November 2025, days before the 2025 Bihar Legislative Assembly election, Singh accused the National Democratic Alliance-led Bihar government of purchasing electricity from Adani Power Limited at inflated prices, estimating that the markup would cost the state ₹62,000 crore over the span of 25 years[38][41][42]. On 15 November, Singh resigned from the BJP after being suspended for anti-party activities, stating that he could not defend himself because no specific offence had been cited and that he believed he was being targeted for suggesting the party avoid giving tickets to members with criminal backgrounds.[43]

Personal life

He married Sheila Singh on 27 February 1975. They have a son and a daughter together.[44]

References

  1. ^ "BJP is the only party to protect national interest: Former home secretary RK Singh as he dons saffron colours". India Today. 14 December 2013. Archived from the original on 19 December 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2013.
  2. ^ a b c Desk, India com News (3 September 2017). "Former Home Secretary R K Singh Now MoS (I/C) of the Ministry of Power". India.com. Retrieved 7 August 2019. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  3. ^ Joshi, Poornima; Kala, Rishi Ranjan (11 April 2024). "The problem with Bihar is its politicians and bureaucrats, says RK Singh". BusinessLine. Archived from the original on 19 April 2024. Retrieved 15 September 2025. I decided that since I am a Rajput, I would send a clear message that caste is not a criteria or the basis of any bias.
  4. ^ a b "How I arrested Advani: Lalu Prasad Yadav". www.telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  5. ^ "SUPREMO". supremo.nic.in. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  6. ^ "Ex-Home Secy RK Singh joins BJP, likely to contest LS polls". Zeenews.india.com. 13 December 2013. Archived from the original on 19 December 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2013.
  7. ^ "Retired home secretary RK Singh to be Bihar advisor". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 25 December 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2013.
  8. ^ "Nitish's A-team: Bihari babus show their mettle". The Times of India. 10 January 2010. Archived from the original on 19 December 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2013.
  9. ^ Kaushal, Akshat (13 December 2013). "Former union home secretary R K Singh joins BJP". Business Standard India. Business Standard. Archived from the original on 16 December 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2013.
  10. ^ "Anil Goswami to be next home secretary". The Times of India. 27 April 2013. Archived from the original on 26 January 2014. Retrieved 20 December 2013.
  11. ^ "RK Singh likely to be new home secretary". The Times of India. 22 June 2011. Archived from the original on 19 December 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2013.
  12. ^ "RK Singh to succeed Pillai as home secy". Hindustan Times. 24 June 2011. Archived from the original on 25 December 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2013.
  13. ^ Special Correspondent (25 June 2011). "R.K. Singh takes over as OSD, Home Ministry". The Hindu. Retrieved 20 December 2013. {{cite news}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  14. ^ Special Correspondent (22 June 2011). "R.K. Singh likely to be next Home Secretary". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 19 December 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2013. {{cite news}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  15. ^ "BJP poaches Nitish aide". Telegraphindia.com. 14 December 2013. Archived from the original on 19 December 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2013.
  16. ^ "Ex-home secy who stopped Rath Yatra to join BJP". Hindustan Times. 13 December 2013. Archived from the original on 15 December 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2013.
  17. ^ Nishit Dholabhai (24 June 2011). "RK Singh to be home secy". Telegraphindia.com. Archived from the original on 19 December 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2013.
  18. ^ "Delhi gang-rape: RK Singh demands death penalty for accused | Watch the video — Yahoo India". In.news.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on 19 December 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2013.
  19. ^ "Raj Kumar Singh: Man who arrested LK Advani becomes minister in Modi govt". The Economic Times. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  20. ^ "RK Singh's charges against Shinde: Result of a bad relationship". 16 January 2014.
  21. ^ "Shinde meets 2G accused Shahid Balwa". Hindustan Times. 22 March 2014. Archived from the original on 9 January 2017. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  22. ^ "RSS opposes RK Singh contesting from Supaul Lok Sabha seat". News18. 1 January 1970. Archived from the original on 19 December 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2013.
  23. ^ "Ex-Home Secy RK Singh joins BJP, likely to contest LS polls". Zeenews.india.com. 13 December 2013. Archived from the original on 19 December 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2013.
  24. ^ Firstpost (23 October 1990). "Ex-Home Secy RK Singh to join BJP; to contest LS polls". Firstpost. Archived from the original on 14 April 2014. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  25. ^ "Bihar steeped in corruption, says R K Singh". The Times of India. 28 December 2013. Archived from the original on 31 December 2013. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  26. ^ "Congress hits back on bureaucrat-turned BJP leader RK Singh". Ibnlive.in.com. 28 December 2013. Archived from the original on 2 March 2014. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  27. ^ [22][23][24][25][26]
  28. ^ Special Correspondent (13 December 2013). "Former Union Home Secy RK Singh joins BJP". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 19 December 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2013. {{cite news}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  29. ^ "Former home secretary RK Singh, ex-PM Shastri's son join BJP". Livemint. 13 December 2013. Archived from the original on 19 December 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2013.
  30. ^ "RK Singh not making tall promises in Ara". The Times Of India. 14 April 2014. Archived from the original on 17 April 2014. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  31. ^ "Latest News Video : R. K. Singh incites people against Congress". Zee News. 15 October 2013. Archived from the original on 19 April 2014. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  32. ^ "Former Home secretary battles caste in Bihar". OdishaSunTimes.com. 28 November 2013. Archived from the original on 19 April 2014. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  33. ^ [30][31][32]
  34. ^ "General Election 2019 - Election Commission of India". results.eci.gov.in. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
  35. ^ "PM Modi allocates portfolios. Full list of new ministers", Live Mint, 31 May 2019
  36. ^ Bharat, E. T. V. (4 June 2024). "Arrah Lok Sabha Seat Results 2024: CPI (ML) (Liberation)'s Sudama Prasad Stuns BJP's Raj Kumar Singh". ETV Bharat News. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  37. ^ "Ex-Ara MP alleges conspiracy by NDA netas for LS poll defeat". The Times of India. 23 September 2025. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 16 November 2025.
  38. ^ a b c "Out in the cold, ex-Union minister R K Singh makes fresh allegations, says BJP can expel me". The Indian Express. 7 November 2025. Retrieved 16 November 2025.
  39. ^ Pandey, Mayank Kumar, Neelam (11 November 2025). "'Asked Bihar govt about Rs 62k cr power plant scam, was told all hunky-dory'—ex-Union minister RK Singh". ThePrint. Retrieved 16 November 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  40. ^ "Press Trust Of India". www.ptinews.com. Retrieved 16 November 2025.
  41. ^ Team, N. L. (6 November 2025). "ABP deletes post on ex-minister's big allegations against Adani". Newslaundry. Retrieved 16 November 2025.
  42. ^ "R.K. Singh Blames Nitish Govt for 'Rs 62,000-Crore Loss' in Adani-Awarded Bhagalpur Power Project". The Wire. Retrieved 16 November 2025.
  43. ^ "Hours after suspension over 'anti party activities', former Union Minister RK Singh quits BJP". The Indian Express. 15 November 2025. Retrieved 16 November 2025.
  44. ^ "Members : Lok Sabha". loksabhaph.nic.in. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
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