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Arun Nehru

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This article is about the Uttar Pradesh politician. For the Tamil Nadu politician, see Arun Nehru (Tamil Nadu politician).
Arun Nehru
Born
Arun Kumar Nehru

(1944-04-24)24 April 1944
Lucknow, United Provinces, British India
Died25 July 2013(2013-07-25) (aged 69)
Gurgaon, Haryana, India
NationalityIndian
Occupations
  • Politician
  • columnist
SpouseSubhadra Nehru[1]
Children2
RelativesUma Nehru (grandmother)
Shyam Kumari Khan (aunt)
FamilySee Nehru-Gandhi family

Arun Kumar Nehru (24 April 1944 – 25 July 2013) was an Indian politician and columnist. He was member of the 9th Lok Sabha from Bilhaur as a Janata Dal leader. Earlier, he was member of the 7th and 8th Lok Sabhas from Rae Bareli on an Indian National Congress ticket.[2] In his political career, Nehru served in various ministerial positions, including serving as the Minister of State for Home Affairs from September 1985 to October 1986.[2] A member of the Nehru–Gandhi family, Nehru was noted in the media to be the second most powerful person in the Indian government during his tenure as Minister of State for Home Affairs, after his cousin Rajiv Gandhi, who was then Prime Minister of India.[3] Nehru was also a member of the V. P. Singh cabinet.[4][5]

Early life and background

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Arun Nehru was born on 24 April 1944.[6] His father was Anand Kumar Nehru, a member of the Nehru-Gandhi family.[6] He studied at La Martinière Boys College, Lucknow, and Lucknow Christian College.[7]

Career

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He worked as a businessman for 17 years before entering into politics. He was president of the paint firm Jenson and Nicholson at the time when Prime Minister Indira Gandhi persuaded him to change career.[1][7] However, he rose to prominence after Sanjay Gandhi's death. The business community regarded him as a decisive person and even termed him as "one-window clearance". When his cousin Rajiv Gandhi forayed into politics in 1981, Nehru became his key advisor.[8] Following Indira Gandhi's assassination in 1984, Nehru played a key role in ensuring Rajiv Gandhi's appointment as Prime Minister by persuading then-President of India, Zail Singh, to appoint Rajiv Gandhi as Prime Minister before he was even elected as the party leader.[4] Nehru also contributed to development of the Special Protection Group.[4]

As a representative of the Indian National Congress (INC), Nehru was a Member of Parliament in the 7th Lok Sabha (1980–84) and 8th Lok Sabha (1984-89) from Rae Bareli. He was Union Minister of State for Energy (December 1984—September 1985,) and for Home Affairs (September 1985—October 1986) in 10th ministry of India. Later, he left the INC for Janata Dal and was elected to the 9th Lok Sabha from Bilhaur in 1989, where he was Union Minister for Commerce and Tourism (December–November 1990).[2] Nehru was also noted in the media to be one of the most powerful members of the V.P. Singh government and also helped form Singh's government.[4][9]

He was also a member of various committees - Railway Convention Committee (1980–84), Consultative Committee, External Affairs and Science and Technology, 7th Lok Sabha; Member, Consultative Committee, External Affairs (1987–89).[2]

Controversies

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Role in 1984 Anti-Sikh riots

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As originally reported by The Caravan Magazine, Arun Nehru reportedly played a pivotal role in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.[10] The riots broke out after the Assassination of Indira Gandhi. According to then petroleum secretary Avtar Singh Gill, Rajiv Gandhi 's "errand boy", Lalit Suri informed him at the eve of the massacre that Arun Nehru gave "clearance" for the killings in Delhi.. His strategy was to "catch Sikh youth, fling a tyre over their heads, douse them with kerosene and set them on fire.". He further retorted, "This will calm the anger of the Hindus".[10][11]

Czech pistol case

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During his tenure as minister in the Home department in 1985–86, he was allegedly involved in the Czech pistol case, where a deal with the Czechoslovakian firm Merkuria Foreign Trade Corp. had resulted in a loss of around ₹2.5 million (US$29,000).[12] A 20-year investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) led to submission of a report in 2007. This found no incriminating evidence.[13] The trial court, however, rejected the CBI report and found Nehru's involvement enough to continue the proceedings.[14] In March 2013, the Supreme Court stayed those proceedings, based on the report.[13]

Personal life

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Nehru married Subhadra Nehru in 1967, and they had two daughters, Radhika and Avantika.[2][15] He has 3 grandsons. Akhil Madan, Yash Madan and Vickram Tikkoo.[6] He died on 25 July 2013 in Gurgaon.[16]


References

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  1. ^ a b "Arun Nehru, former Union minister, dies". The Times of India. 25 July 2013. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Lok Sabha Member's Bioprofile". Archived from the original on 17 October 2013. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  3. ^ Mitra, Sumit; Chawla, Prabhu (31 October 1985). "Arun Nehru rises to a position of power second only to PM Rajiv Gandhi himself". India Today. Retrieved 9 April 2025.
  4. ^ a b c d Chawla, Prabhu (28 July 2013). "In death as in life, Arun Nehru remains the envy of many a wannabe politician". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 9 April 2025.
  5. ^ Aiyar, Mani Shankar (21 August 2023). "How Bad Advice Led Rajiv Gandhi To Make Mistakes in Handling the Babri Masjid Issue". The Wire. Retrieved 9 April 2025.
  6. ^ a b c "Arun Nehru Bio". Parliament of India. Archived from the original on 17 October 2013. Retrieved 27 July 2013.
  7. ^ a b "From the corporate world to politics". The Hindu. 26 July 2013. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
  8. ^ Badhwar, Inderjit; Chawla, Prabhu (30 November 1986). "Mystery surrounds circumstances under which Arun Nehru was ousted from power". India Today. Retrieved 9 April 2025.
  9. ^ Anshuman, Kumar (26 July 2013). "Arun Nehru: A business honcho who rose and fell due to his astuteness". India Today. Retrieved 9 April 2025.
  10. ^ a b The 1984 Massacre, How Senior Leaders From The Congress Sanctioned The Organised Violence That Followed Indira Gandhi’s Death, The Caravan (October 29, 2015)
  11. ^ Congress, Culpability And Kamal Nath, OutLook India (Jun 16, 2016)
  12. ^ "1988 pistol deal: Court to hear arguments on charge sheet". Zee News. PTI. 4 March 2013. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
  13. ^ a b "SC stays trial in Rajiv-era Czech pistol purchase scam". The Times of India. 23 March 2013. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
  14. ^ "Czech pistol case: Court summons former Union Minister Arun Nehru". NDTV. 2 September 2012. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
  15. ^ Bamzai, Kaveree (10 August 2013). "The Long Goodbye to differences in Nehru family". India Today. Retrieved 9 April 2025.
  16. ^ "Former union minister and Congress leader Arun Nehru passes away". Deccan Chronicle. PTI. 25 July 2013. Archived from the original on 27 July 2013. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
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