Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a programme marking the 10th death anniversary of the late Samajwadi Party leader Harmohan Singh Yadav today at 4.30 pm via video conferencing. Harmohan Singh Yadav was a towering figure and leader of the Yadav community in Uttar Pradesh, a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said. PM’s participation in the programme is in recognition of the contribution of the late leader to the lives of farmers, backward classes, and other sections of the society.
Who was Harmohan Singh Yadav?
Harmohan Singh Yadav was a towering figure in the Yadav community and a political leader of Uttar Pradesh. He was born in Meharban Singh Ka Purva village of Kanpur on October 18, 1921. He remained active in politics for a long time with a career spanning over 50 years. Harmohan Singh Yadav’s son, Sukhram Singh Yadav was also a Rajya Sabha MP.
Harmohan Singh Yadav served in various capacities as MLC, MLA, Member of the Rajya Sabha and chairman of Akhil Bhartiya Yadav Mahasabha. He participated in protests during the Emergency and fought for the rights of the farmers. He was instrumental in establishing many educational institutions in and around Kanpur with his son Sukhram Singh Yadav. He died on July 25, 2012.
Political career and contributions
Harmohan Singh Yadav entered politics at the age of 31 and became a village 'pradhan' in 1952. From 1970 to 1990, he served in various capacities as MLC and MLA in Uttar Pradesh.
He was elected as a member of the Rajya Sabha for the first time in 1991 and served as a member of several parliamentary committees.
He was nominated as a member of the Rajya Sabha for the second time in 1997. He also served as the national chairman of Akhil Bhartiya Yadav Mahasabha.
He had close relations with Chaudhary Charan Singh and Ram Manohar Lohia. He was a part of the resistance during the Emergency and was also jailed while protesting for the rights of the farmers.
It was Harmohan Yadav who proposed to the Yadav Mahasabha that Mulayam Singh Yadav should become their leader after the death of Chaudhary Charan Singh.
Six years before the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, Harmohan Yadav and his family had moved to a place where most of the population was Sikh. Yadav had a good relationship with the Sikh community and his family helped them occasionally. During the 1984 riots, Harmohan Singh Yadav was at home with his son when local Sikhs came to his house for shelter. The Yadav family protected them from the attacker until they were dispersed or arrested.
For protecting the lives of the Sikhs, then President R Venkataraman awarded Harmohan Singh Yadav with the Shaurya Chakra in 1991, an Indian military decoration awarded for valour and courageous action, or self-sacrifice.
(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)
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