‘Mr Fixit’ who grew beyond UP politics

LUCKNOW: In July 2018, while inaugurating the first ground-breaking ceremony in Lucknow, Prime Minister Narendra Modi surprised the audience by making special mention of Amar Singh. While starting his address, the PM paused and said "Amar Singh ji, namaskar”. Seated in the second row at the sprawling pandal, Singh smiled but observers of UP politics say that it was an indirect acknowledgment of the fact that the Rajya Sabha member was the pioneer of bringing investment from outside to the state. Singh passed away in Singapore after prolonged illness on Saturday.
As the second most powerful person in SP government between 2003 and 2007, he headed the UP Development Council to bring corporate India closer to UP. As members of the council, the likes of Anil Ambani, Adi Godrej, Subrata Roy, and Amitabh Bachchan helped the state get India Inc to invest in UP.
However, before it could bring a desirable result, the SP was voted out and the council was disbanded. Singh, however, was instrumental in setting a precedence.
After joining SP in late 90s, it was Singh who helped this regional outfit acquire a national stature through his connections which transcended the moorings of political leanings. After Amar’s departure from the party which coincided with the growing influence of the present chief Akhilesh Yadav, it has also lost its impact in the national politics as his successor, Ram Gopal Yadav failed to perform that role.
The role of 'Mr Fixit' that he played with aplomb, benefited many. He claimed that it was he who introduced Big B to Subrata Roy, who helped the superstar ward off the financial storm he was facing. Besides, Singh also introduced Bachchan as a farmer in Barabanki, and named his Gomatinagar residence in Lucknow as 'Aishwarya' and opened a school in her name in Barabanki.
Singh was also responsible for adding glamour quotient to Saifai Mahotsava, a rural festival at the village of the SP's first family, by bringing Bollywood A-listers to the event. Although the party was criticised for this for losing its core value.
He aggressively campaigned for the release of Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya, who was languishing in jail after being slapped with POTA by the Mayawati government in 2002. He also helped his mentor Mulayam Singh Yadav to take a second shot at the CM's chair in 2003 by 'managing' adequate number of legislatures after Mayawati walked out of the coalition government she was running along with BJP.
His falling out with the Yadavs started after Akhilesh's wife Dimple lost Lok Sabha bypoll against Raj Babbar in Firozabad in 2009. He was sacked from the party in 2010 but continued to be its Rajya Sabha member till 2014. Two years later, he mended the fence with Mulayam and got another term at the upper house by regaining entry into the party. However, the second innings didn't last long and the Yadav family's internal feud took a toll on him. Akhilesh lashed out at him publicly holding him responsible for the schism between him and his father, and ousted him from the party. But Singh continued to be an RS member till his death.
In his condolence message, Akhilesh tweeted a picture of Amar Singh walking between him and his father.