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Digvijaya Singh Wiki, Age, Caste, Girlfriend, Wife, Family, Biography & More

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Age: 76 Years
Wife: Amrita Rai
Caste: Khichi Rajput

Digvijaya Singh

Bio/Wiki
Nickname(s)Diggi Raja [1]India Today
ProfessionPolitician
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)in centimeters- 173 cm
in meters- 1.73 m
in feet & inches- 5’ 8”
Eye ColourBlack
Hair ColourSalt & Pepper (Semi Bald)
Politics
Political PartyIndian National Congress (INC) (1971-Present)
Indian National Congress
Political Journey• President of Raghogarh Municipal Corporation in 1969
• Joined Indian National Congress (INC) in 1971
• Elected as MLA from Raghogarh in 1977
• Re-elected as MLA from Raghogarh in 1980
• Initially, he held the portfolios of agriculture, fisheries, animal husbandry with the rank of minister of state with independent charge. Later, he became a minister in Arjun Singh’s cabinet with the irrigation and command area development portfolios.
• Elected MP from Rajgarh in 1984
• President of Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee (1984-1988)
• Re-elected MP from Rajgarh in 1989 and 1991
• Re-appointed as President of the Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee in 1992
• Resigned from the post of MP from Rajgarh in 1993
• Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh (1993–2003)
• Elected as MLA from Chachoura in 1994
• Elected as MLA from Raghogarh in 1998
• Re-elected as MLA from Raghogarh in 2003
• General Secretary of the All India Congress Committee (2004-2018)
• Became a Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha on 10 April 2014
• Contested the Bhopal Lok Sabha seat in 2019

Note: When Digvijaya Singh was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh in 1993, INC candidate and MLA from Chachoura Shivnarayan Meena vacated his seat in favour of Digvijaya.
Personal Life
Date of Birth28 February 1947
Age (as of 2023) 76 Years
BirthplaceIndore, Holkar State, British India (now Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India)
Zodiac signPisces
SignatureDigvijaya Singh's signature
NationalityIndian
HometownRaghogarh-Vijaypur, Madhya Pradesh
SchoolDaly College, Indore
College/UniversityShri Govindram Seksaria Institute of Technology and Science, Indore
Educational QualificationBachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) [2]My Neta
ReligionHinduism [3]The Times of India

Note: In a blog by The Times of India, Digvijaya Singh revealed that his initiation ceremony was carried out in 1983 by Jagadguru Shankaracharya. He said,
"I am a practicing Hindu. I was given Diksha by his holiness Jagadguru Shankaracharya of Dwarka and Joshi Math in 1983. I regularly pray every day for half an hour and have been doing this since 1969 when I was given Gayatri Mantra after I got my ‘Yagyo Pavit Sansakar.”

Narmada Parikrama
On 30 September 2017, Digvijaya Singh and Amrita Rai set out on Narmada Parikrama, a 3,300 km pilgrimage by foot circumambulating the course of the river Narmada. The sacred river is worshipped as Narmada maiyya (mother) or Ma Rewa (derived from “rev” meaning leaping one) in Central India. The couple concluded their journey on 9 April 2018. [4]The Times of India
Digvijaya Singh and his wife Amrita Rai during ‘Narmada Parikrama’ at Jhakli village in Gadarwara district of Madhya Pradesh
Caste/EthnicityDigvijaya Singh hails from the royal family of the Raghogarh principality. The former princely state of Raghogarh, British India, is now a town in the Guna district of Madhya Pradesh. He belongs to the House of Raghogarh- Kheechiwara of the Khichi Chauhan Dynasty, i.e., Khichi Rajputs of the Chauhan clan. [5]Indian Rajputs
HobbiesVisiting wildlife parks, Wildlife photography, Listening classical Hindi music
ControversiesSlammed For Not Casting His Vote
During the 2019 general elections, PM Narendra Modi slammed Digvijaya Singh for not casting his vote and claimed that the Congress leader was setting an unhealthy example for young voters. While lashing out at Digvijaya during an election rally, Modi said,
"The country is electing its representatives, even I went to Ahmedabad to cast my vote. President and Vice President of the country were standing in queues to cast their votes. But Diggi Raja didn’t feel the need to cast his vote.”
Besides Modi, Singh also received criticism from former Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan who said that Digvijaya’s decision not to vote showed his attitude towards democracy. [6]Business Standard

Compared Arvind Kejriwal with Rakhi Sawant
In 2012, Rakhi Sawant wrote a complaint letter to the Commissioner of Mumbai police against Singh. In the letter, she requested to register an FIR against Singh for outraging the modesty of a woman/female, charging him with passing lewd remarks, eve teasing, abusing, mischief, and spreading false statements and rumours etc against her. [7]Firstpost Rakhi Sawant had written the letter citing Singh's 2012 tweet in which he said,
"Arvind Kejriwal is like Rakhi Sawant. They both try and expose but with no substance. Apologies to Rakhi Sawant I am an old fan of hers !”
While talking about the alleged remark, Sawant said the Congress General Secretary had gone out of his senses. She said,
"He has gone out of his senses. Considering him a smart and intelligent person, I was a big fan of him, but today he attacked me. He used my shoulder to fire on Kejriwal. He shouldn’t compare me with Kejriwal Bhai.”

Trolled On Twitter For His Remarks Against PM Narendra Modi
In 2017, Singh posted a meme which had a picture of PM Modi with text that read,
“Mere do achievements 1.) Bhakton ko C** banaya 2.) C*** ko Bhakt banaya.”
The meme attracted massive criticism for Singh as many believed that taking a dig at the PM was equivalent to insulting the nation. However, Singh later disowned it saying “retweets are not endorsements.” [8]Outlook

Sexist Remarks Against Meenakshi Natarajan
In 2013, Digvijaya was slammed for describing Meenakshi Natrajan, Congress MP from Mandsaur, as “sau tanch maal” (totally unblemished). Apparently, the slang loosely translates to “a desirable object.” While the remark sparked outrage among rights activists for its alleged sexist tone, Natarajan said she wasn’t offended saying that “his statement has to be looked at in complete perspective.” Later, Singh clarified that his remark suggested that Natarajan was like “pure gold.” He also threatened the TV channels that he would take legal action against them if they report the remark wrongly. [9]The Times of India

MP Recruitment Scam Case
In 2016, Singh was been charged with forgery, cheating, conspiracy and misuse of office as well as offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act in connection with an alleged recruitment scam when he was the CM of Madhya Pradesh (1993-2003). A 169-page supplementary charge sheet was filed against him which pertained to alleged irregularities in recruitment in the state Assembly Secretariat. Later, the court granted bail to Singh after he paid a fine of Rs 30,000. Allegedly, the case was a fallout of the Vyapam scam, the entrance examination, admission and recruitment scam in Madhya Pradesh. [10]The Indian Express

FIR for Alleging that Telangana Police Hosted a Fake Website
In 2017, the Telangana police registered a criminal case against Digvijaya Singh following a complaint on his tweets in which he said that the Telangana police hosted a fake website to lure Muslim youth towards ISIS. Two FIRs were registered against Singh, one in Jubilee Hills and another in One Town police station. The police invoked sections 505 (1) (a) and (b) (making statement to cause any officer to mutiny or otherwise disregard or fail in his duty and cause fear or alarm among public) and 505 (2) (making statement causing feelings of enmity, hatred) of Indian Penal Code (IPC) against him. [11]The Hindu

Arrested For Sit-in Protest in Bengaluru
In 2020, Digvijaya staged a protest outside a private resort near Devanahalli in Bengaluru in the aftermath of a political crisis. Apparently, Jyotiraditya Scindia, along with 22 MLAs from Madhya Pradesh, quit Congress after which they lodged in the private resort. During the protest, Singh tried to highlight that the Karnataka police and the ruling BJP government was not allowing him to meet the MLAs. He also accused BJP of luring in the Congress legislators with money by offering them up to Rs 30 crore each. On the other hand, MLAs claimed that they were “not kept captive” by anyone and were lodged in the resort because “they were not safe in Madhya Pradesh.” Consequently, Digvijaya was arrested for a while and later released. [12]The Times of India

Alleging that the Batla House Encounter Case was Fake
In 2011, Singh attracted controversy for demanding a judicial probe into the Batla House encounter case, which led to the death of two terrorists and one police officer. However, Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram dismissed his demand stating that several probes had proved Batla House to be a genuine encounter. [13]Hindustan Times

Remarks on Osama bin Laden’s Burial
While condemning the sea burial given to Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden by the US in 2011, Singh said, “However big a criminal one might be, his religious traditions should be respected while burying him.” The controversial remark made headlines following which he clarified that his statement should not be interpreted as support for Bin Laden. He further explained that “I had merely said that the worst of criminals should be cremated according to their faith. He is a terrorist and he deserved the treatment that he got.” [14]NDTV

Ujjain Assault Case
In 2022, a court in the Indore district of Madhya Pradesh sentenced six people, including Digvijaya Singh, to one year's rigorous imprisonment in a case related to a clash with protesting workers of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) in 2011. However, the court later granted bail to all the convicts after furnishing a bond of Rs 25,000 each. In the aftermath of his arrest, Singh alleged that his name was not even in the FIR and “was added later under political pressure.” [15]The Times of India

CBI Probe Into the Killing of Sunil Joshi
Singh launched an attack on BJP and RSS in 2010 by demanding a CBI probe into the killing of Sunil Joshi, an RSS activist linked to the Ajmer Dargah blasts of 2007. He alleged that Joshi was killed because he “knew too much.” He accused the BJP government of closing Joshi's murder case without a detailed investigation. He also claimed that the right-wing extremist organisations were a grave threat to national unity. [16]The Times of India He said,
"When they (RSS) cannot forgive their own pracharak, then what will they do to others?”
Relationships & More
Marital StatusMarried
Affairs/GirlfriendsAmrita Rai (2014-2015)
Digvijaya Singh and Amrita Rai
Marriage Date11 December 1969
Family
Wife/Spouse• Asha Singh (deceased) ​(1969-2013)
Digvijaya Singh's first wife, Asha Singh
• Amrita Rai (News Anchor) (2015-Present)
Digvijaya Singh's second wife, Amrita Rai

Note: In 2013, Asha Singh, 58, passed away due to cancer at the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences, Vasant Kunj.
ChildrenSon- Jaivardhan Singh ( politician and member of INC who was elected as MLA of Raghogarh in 2013)
Digvijaya Singh with his son, Jaivardhan Singh
Daughter(s)-Mrinalini Kumari, Mandakini Kumari, Karnieka Kumari (died in 2016), Mradima Kumari
Digvijaya Singh with his son, Jaivardhan Singh, and daughters
ParentsFather- Raja Balbhadra Singh II (12th ruler of the former princely state of Raghogarh in British India who later joined INC and became a politician)
Mother-Rani Aparna Kumari
Digvijaya Singh's parents, Raja Balbhadra Singh II and Rani Aparna Kumari

Note: In 1952, Balbhadra Singh, as an independent candidate, contested and won Raghogarh Assembly seat. Rani Aparna Kumari was the daughter of Maharaja Bahadur Chandra Mouleshwar Prasad Singh of Gidhaur.
SiblingsBrother- Laxman Singh (politician; elected as the MP from Rajgarh (1994-2004))
Digvijaya Singh with his brother, Laxman Singh
Money Factor
Assets/PropertiesMoveable Assets
• Cash: Rs 16,81,690
• Deposits in Banks, Financial Institutions and Non-Banking Financial Companies: Rs 1,13,24,346
• Bonds, Debentures and Shares in companies: Rs 4,71,350
• NSS, Postal Savings etc: Rs 24,40,005
• LIC or other insurance Policies: Rs 4,15,840
• Personal loans/advance given: Rs 3,82,82,070
• Motor Vehicles: Rs 15,68,000
• Jewellery: Rs 88,47,059
• Other assets, such as values of claims/interests: Rs 3,00,000

Immovable Assets
• Agricultural Land: Rs 3,82,44,848
• Commercial Buildings: Rs 27,38,81,925
• Residential Buildings: Rs 2,48,85,714

Note: The given estimates of movable and immovable assets are according to the financial year 2018–2019. [17]My Neta
Net Worth (as of 2018)Rs. 37,90,96,533 [18]My Neta

Digvijaya Singh, Indian Politician

Some Lesser Known Facts About Digvijaya Singh

  • Digvijaya Singh is an Indian politician and a member of the Indian National Congress (INC) who became a Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha on 10 April 2014. From 2004 to 2018, he served as the General Secretary of the All India Congress Committee. He has served as the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh for two terms (1993-2003).
  • In an interview, Digvijaya disclosed that he received an offer from Rajmata Vijaya Raje Scindia to join Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS) in 1970. BJS was an Indian right-wing political party extending from Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) that existed from 1951 to 1977. Digvijaya said that Rajmata had sent him on a tour along with her son Madhavrao Scindia and Kailash Sarang, but the two failed to convince him to join the party.
  • Digvijaya Singh is the first Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh to serve two full five-year terms.
  • During his tenure as CM of Madhya Pradesh, the state secured three prestigious international awards for development achievements. In 1998, the Education Guarantee Scheme won the Gold Award from CAPAM (Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management) in Kuala Lumpur for universalising access to primary education. The Gyandoot project was presented with the Stockholm challenge information technology (IT) award in 2000 for public service and democracy. Rogi Kalyan Samiti ( Patients’ Welfare Society) initiative won the Global Development Network Award for breathing a new life in government-run hospitals and health institutions through people’s participation.
  • Although he won the Raghogarh Assembly seat in 2003, but the overall defeat of BJP in the legislative assembly elections led Singh to go into exile refraining from electoral politics for the next ten years. After the end of exile, in 2014, Digvijaya Singh expressed his wish to contest the Lok Sabha polls from the Vidisha constituency. Back then, the seat was represented by the BJP leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj. However, he was instead elected as a Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh in the same year.
  • In April 2014, Digvijaya Singh and Amrita Rai’s affair made headlines when an intimate picture of the couple went viral on the internet. To put a halt to indecent remarks and criticism, Digvijaya took to Twitter and announced that he was in a relationship with Amrita and intended to marry her. He tweeted,

    I have no hesitation in accepting my relationship with Amrita Rai. She and her husband have already filed a mutual consent divorce case…Once that is decided we would formalise it. But I do condemn encroachment in our private life.”

  • Thereafter, Amrita Rai filed an FIR with Delhi police under section 66A of the IT Act and section 509 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman). She also tweeted,

    I have separated from my husband and we have filed a mutual consent divorce papers. After which I have decided to marry with Digvijaya Singh.”

  • Previously, Amrita Rai was married to Anand Pradhan, an associate professor of journalism at the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), New Delhi.
  • He served as the director of the Central Cooperative Bank, Guna from 1976 to 1978.
  • His name is also spelt as Digvijay Singh [19]The Economic Times and Dig Vijay Singh. [20]Madhya Pradesh Assembly Election Results in 1977
  • He has served as the President of the Guna Central Lions Club.
  • He was a keen sportsman in his childhood. He represented his school in various sports like hockey, cricket, and football. He also played cricket, hockey, tennis, and squash at the university level. He has represented the Central Zone cricket team. Apart from that, he played Squash at the national level (junior).

References/Sources:[+]