1. Chattur Singh caused a major sensation in the 1937 elections when he defeated AD Patel, a well known lawyer and political ally of Vishnu Deo.
10 Facts About Chattur Singh
1. 2.
Chattur Singh was one of the first Indo-Fijians to take an active interest in politics.
3.
Chattur Singh opposed the Residential Tax Legislation of 1922, which imposed an annual tax of one pound on all Fiji residents between the ages of 18 and 60, by refusing to pay the tax.
4.
Chattur Singh was a law clerk while Patel was an accomplished lawyer and had the support of Vishnu Deo.
5.
Chattur Singh used an ingenious technique to fight the election.
6.
Chattur Singh used the Fiji Indian's dislike of Gujarati traders and money lenders, and the fact that AD Patel was an India-born Gujarati, to turn the election to one between Fiji-born and India-born.
7.
Chattur Singh won the election by 671 votes to Patel's 651 with 66 votes being invalid.
8.
Aware of the power of the Colonial Sugar Refining Company, Chattur Singh soon distanced himself from the Kisan Sangh.
9.
Chattur Singh claimed to represent the mill workers and farmers in their struggle for better remuneration, but without a political base, did not have enough support to contest the next election in 1940 elections.
10.
Chattur Singh attempted another comeback in 1956, losing to Ayodhya Prasad in a five-way race.