| Sahib Singh Verma | |
| Born | March 15, 1943 Delhi, India |
|---|---|
| Died | June 30, 2007 (aged 64) Rājasthān, India |
| Cause of death | Car accident |
| Residence | |
| Political party | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| Religious beliefs | Hindu |
| Children | 2 sons, 3 daughters |
Sahib Singh Verma (b.March 15, 1943, Mundka Village, Outer Delhi, d.June 30, 2007) was an Indian politician of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He served as Chief Minister of Delhi (1996-1998) and as member of parliament (1999-2004)[1]. He was a senior vice-president in the BJP[2].
He died on June 30, 2007, when his car collided with a truck on the Alwar-Delhi highway.
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Verma was born on March 15, 1943 in Mundka village, Delhi, to Mir Singh, a Jat farmer, and Bharpai Devi.
He began his socio-political journey as a volunteer in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and later climbed the ranks in politics.
He has a Ph.D. degree in Library Science, and started work as librarian in Bhagat Singh College, Delhi[3]. He also holds a master's degree in Arts, and also in Library Science from Aligarh Muslim University.
Married in 1954 to Sahib Kaur, he has two sons and three daughters[1].
He was first elected to the Municipal Council of Delhi on a Janata Party ticket in 1977, and was later re-elected on a BJP ticket. He became the Education and Development Minister in the Delhi government in 1993. In 1996, after Madan Lal Khurana was embroiled in a corruption crisis, Sahib Singh became the Chief Minister of Delhi[4] despite Khurana being acquitted by the courts. Singh served as CM for two and a half years, facing increasing rivalry from Khurana[5]. Following an onion price crisis, he was replaced by Sushma Swaraj.
Subsequently, he won the Lok Sabha elections, 1999 from Outer Delhi with a margin of over two lakh votes[6]. In 2002, he became Minister of Labour in the Vajpayee government, and was known as "bull in a China shop" for standing up against the bureaucrats against lowering the Provident Fund interest rate[5]. However, he was defeated in the 2004 polls.
Verma was respected among the teacher community of Delhi. He was the owner of a national Hindi daily newspaper called Haribhumi.
He died in a road accident in Rajasthan. Verma was returning to Delhi after laying a foundation stone for a school in Neem Ka Thana in Sikar district.
| Preceded by Madan Lal Khurana |
Chief Minister of Delhi 1996–1997 |
Succeeded by Sushma Swaraj |
http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Jun302007/national2007063010305.asp?section=updatenews
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