20 Facts About Raj Narain

Raj Narain was an Indian freedom fighter and politician.

Raj Narain won in a famous electoral malpractice case against the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, which led to her disqualification and, eventually, imposition of the Emergency in 1975.

Raj Narain defeated Gandhi during the 1977 Lok Sabha elections.

Raj Narain was the son of Anant Prasad Singh and was born on 23 November 1917 in an affluent Bhumihar family in the village Motikoat in Varanasi.

Raj Narain was related to the Narayan dynasty, who were the royal family of the Benares State.

Raj Narain was president of Student Congress during the 1942 Quit India Movement, and led protests in and around Varanasi district in UP.

Raj Narain was imprisoned 58 times for a period totalling about 15 years in connection with students' and socialist movements.

Raj Narain was very close to his Guru Acharya Narendra Deva and Rammanohar Lohia.

Raj Narain was elected to the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly in 1952 and was Leader of Opposition in the Assembly until 1962.

Raj Narain opposed policies and practices of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and stood in 1971 Lok Sabha elections from Rae Bareli as an Samyukta Socialist Party Candidate.

Raj Narain joined with other opposition parties to form the Janata alliance to face Mrs Gandhi's Congress party.

Raj Narain stood against her from the Rae Bareli constituency.

Raj Narain defeated her with a margin of more than fifty thousand votes.

Raj Narain reluctantly joined the Morarji Desai government and became Minister of Health and Family Welfare.

Raj Narain was able to attract enough defectors from the former socialist and BLD factions to make the Morarji Desai government lose a vote of confidence in the parliament and lose power.

Raj Narain had earlier called himself Hanuman to Charan Singh's Ram.

Raj Narain lost the 1980 Lok Sabha election to Kamlapati Tripathi in Varanasi.

Later he fell out with his mentor Charan Singh, and Raj Narain stood against Singh in the Baghpat constituency in 1984.

Raj Narain was married and had three sons and one daughter.

Raj Narain published 'Janmukh'-a weekly from Varanasi and has been on the editorial board of 'Jan' a monthly established by Dr Rammanohar Lohia.