SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, Jan 8: A statue of senior Congress leader and former national general secretary of the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), Rajendra Prasad Singh, will be set up at the Kathara Colliery regional office of Central Coalfields Limited (CCL) in Bokaro on January 26. The unveiling ceremony will be held at 3:30 pm on that day.
Rashtriya Colliery Mazdoor Union (RCMU) General Secretary AK Jha made the announcement on Wednesday, stating that INTUC National Vice President Jaymangal Singh, also known as Anup Singh, the MLA and Chief Whip of the Congress Party, will unveil the statue.
Legacy of Rajendra Prasad Singh
Rajendra Prasad Singh served as a six-time MLA from Bermo (Bokaro district) assembly constituency and was the general secretary of INTUC’s national body for 27 years. He also served as the president of the Rashtriya Colliery Mazdoor Sangh (RCMS) for the same duration until his passing.
Additionally, he was the president of the Indian National Mineworkers’ Federation (INMF). Following his death, the RCMS was renamed the Rashtriya Colliery Mazdoor Union.
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After the death of former undivided Bihar Chief Minister Bindeswari Dubey in 1993, Rajendra Prasad Singh was unanimously elected as the national general secretary of INTUC and president of RCMS. He held both positions until his passing on May 24, 2020.
Contributions to Trade Union and Jharkhand Politics
Rajendra Prasad Singh was an influential figure in trade union and a key leader for coal miners across the country. Besides his contributions to the coal miners, he also served as a minister in the undivided Bihar government and later became an influential minister in Jharkhand.
RCMU leaders emphasized that his statue in Kathara Colliery honors his legacy as a “messiah” for coal miners.
“Rajendra Prasad Singh was one of the nation’s foremost trade union leaders and a veteran champion of coal miners. His statue is being erected at Kathara Colliery in recognition of his immense contribution. Besides being a messiah for coal miners, Rajendra Babu also served as a minister in undivided Bihar and became an influential leader in Jharkhand,” said RCMU leader AK Jha.
After his death, Rakeshwar Pandey of Jamshedpur became the president of Jharkhand INTUC and National Senior Secretary, while Anup Kumar Singh, his son, succeeded him as president of both the RCMS and INMF.
