Raghuvansh Prasad Singh: A look at the political career of MGNREGA's architect and a veteran RJD leader

Former union minister and senior Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Raghuvansh Prasad Singh passed away at AIIMS, New Delhi on September 13 due to post-COVID complications.

The 74-year-old was undergoing treatment at the hospital for the complications. In a political career spanning over four decades, Singh most notably served in former prime minister Manmohan Singh’s Cabinet as the Union Minister for Rural Development.

An expert in the rural and agricultural landscape of the country, Singh is called the architect of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme.

Since its launch in 2006, the rural employment guarantee scheme has aimed at providing livelihood security in rural areas by guaranteeing at least 100 days of minimum wage employment per year, mostly in the construction of durable assets such as roads, canals and ponds.

Passed in September 2005 under the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, the scheme was implemented by Singh, then-Minister of Rural Development.

MGNREGA was reportedly facing a delay when Singh had approached then-UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and told her about the inordinate delay.

Gandhi soon summoned the then-Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who at the time was heading the Group of Ministers (GoM) on MGNREGA, and told him to expedite the project, as per a Hindustan Times report.

MGNREGA was subsequently rolled out in 200 districts in 2006.

"MGNREGA was a big step towards eradicating poverty by ending unemployment. Employment for all is the first step towards ensuring roti, kapda, makan, padhai aur dawai (food, clothes, shelter, education and health). People are ready to work. So it is the duty of a Government to provide work," Singh had told The Hindu BusinessLine in an interview in May this year.

He also called for the induction of agricultural work in MGNREGA. "Governments may take a small percentage of share from farmers for letting MGNREGA workers work in their farms. This step will create huge employment opportunities. Farmers can approach panchayats or Gram Sabhas for workers and workers can also approach them for work. As the work is real, monitory or social accountability will also be real," he had said.

Weeks ahead of the Bihar elections – slated to be held in October and November - Singh, a close aide of RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, had quit the party just days ago on September 10. Unhappy with the way the party was being run, Singh had resigned as its vice-president in June.

Announcing his decision to quit RJD, the former union minister had penned a letter to party chief Yadav. "After Jannayak Karpuri Thakur’s demise, I stood with you for 32 years, but not now. I have great affection for party leaders and activists. I am sorry,” Singh said in the letter.

RJD chief, however, rejected Singh's resignation. He, too, sent a hand-written letter to Singh saying "you are not going anywhere".

"Dear Raghuvansh babu, a letter written by you is being circulated in the media. I do not believe this. My family and RJD family wants to see you among us once you recover,” Yadav, who is in jail, said in the letter.

He added, "For four decades, we have discussed political, social and family-related issues together. You are not going anywhere."

Shortly after Singh's death was confirmed, Yadav tweeted: "Dear Raghuvansh babu! What did you do? I told you the day before yesterday, you are not going anywhere. But you went so far. I am speechless. I am sad. Will miss you very much."

Singh was reportedly unhappy over talks of former Lok Janashakti Party (LJP) Member of Parliament Rama Kishore Singh joining the RJD. Raghuvansh Prasad and Rama Kishore are Rajputs and bitter rivals. Kishore had defeated Raghuvansh Prasad in the 2014 Lok Sabha election from Vaishali.

Speculation was rife that Singh was set to join the Janata Dal (United). A day after quitting RJD, Singh had written to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar seeking an extension of MGNREGA benefits to the farm sector.

Singh has been in the political wilderness for some time, having lost two consecutive elections in 2014 and 2019 from Vaishali which he had represented in the Lok Sabha five times.

The former Professor with a PhD. in mathematics was part of the Union Cabinet for three terms.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a moving tribute to former Union minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, saying his death has left a deep void
in Bihar and national politics.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi too expressed grief, saying with Singh's demise a strong voice of the village and farmers has been lost. "With the demise of Shri Raghuvansh Prasad Singh ji, a strong voice of the village and farmers has been lost forever. His service and dedication for the upliftment of villages and farmers and his struggle for social justice will always be remembered. My heartfelt tributes to him," Rahul Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi.