Rana Rana may refer to: Astronomy * Rana (crater), a crater on Mars * Delta Eridani or Rana, a star People, groups and titles * Rana (name), a given name and surname (including a list of people and characters with the name) * Rana (title), a histori ...

Chandra Singh (1931 – 1 August 2009), also known as Rana Chandar Singh, was a Pakistani politician and a federal minister. He was one of the founding members of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and was elected to the National Assembly of Pakistan from

Umerkot Umerkot (formerly known as Amarkot) is a city in the Sindh province of Pakistan. The local language is Dhatki, which is one of the Rajasthani languages of the Indo-Aryan language family. It is most closely related to Marwari. Sindhi, Urdu an ...

seven times with PPP between 1977 and 1999. He founded the Pakistan Hindu Party (PHP) in 1990.

Early life

Rana Chandra Singh was born in 1931 in Rana Jagir, 16 km from Umarkot, present day

Umerkot District Umerkot District (Dhatki: عمرکوٹ / عمرڪوٽ, sd, عمرڪوٽ ضلعو, ur, ), also known as Amarkot District, is a district in the Sindh province of Pakistan. The city of Umerkot is the capital of the district. Sindhi is the native l ...

. He belonged to the Sodha clan of Rajputs, and was the

(chieftain) of the

Amarkot Umerkot (formerly known as Amarkot) is a city in the Sindh province of Pakistan. The local language is Dhatki, which is one of the Rajasthani languages of the Indo-Aryan language family. It is most closely related to Marwari. Sindhi, Urdu and ...

(Umerkot) '' jagir'', a

Rajput Rajput (from Sanskrit ''raja-putra'' 'son of a king') is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term Ra ...

estate in Pakistan, and Pakistani Hindu Sodha Thakur Rajput.

Career

He was a close friend of

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Zulfikar (or Zulfiqar) Ali Bhutto ( ur, , sd, ذوالفقار علي ڀٽو; 5 January 1928 – 4 April 1979), also known as Quaid-e-Awam ("the People's Leader"), was a Pakistani barrister, politician and statesman who served as the fourt ...

and Benazir Bhutto, and was a founding member of Pakistan Peoples Party. He was also elected as MPA a number of seven times, serving as Minister of Science and Technology, Revenue and Narcotics Affairs. In 1990 he left PPP and formed his own political party, the Pakistan Hindu Party (PHP). He himself designed for his party a saffron flag bearing two ancient logos – Om and Trishool. He served as Minister for Agriculture and Revenue, and was the Chairman of National Commission of Minorities. He won elections as an Independent candidate for a continuous 53 years – a considerable achievement for a minority Hindu. He had joined PPP after parting way with PML-Q. He died on 1 August 2009 at the age of 78, after a prolonged illness, as he suffered paralysis in 2004. Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, in a message to his family, expressed grief over the death of former federal minister, while the President described him as "one of the fearless political activists who joined the party in the early days of its formation by Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and who stood by him through thick and thin". His body was taken to his native village Rana Jagir, 16 km from Umarkot for cremation, where earlier, his elder son Rana Hamir Singh was installed as his successor, the 26th Rana of

Tharparkar Tharparkar (Dhatki/ sd, ٿرپارڪر, ur, ), also known as Thar, is a district in Sindh province in Pakistan headquartered at Mithi. Before Indian independence it was known as the Thar and Parkar district. The district is the largest in Si ...

's Thakurs.

Personal life

He was married to Rani Sahiba Subhadra Kumari, daughter of Rawat Tej Singh of Rawatsar in

Hanumangarh district Hanumangarh district is a district in the state of Rajasthan in India. The city of Hanumangarh is the district headquarters and its largest city. District profile The district is located in the extreme north of Rajasthan. It has an area of 12 ...

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern s ...

. They have four sons and one daughter.

References

External links

Rendezvous with Rana

Umerkot Fort

History & GENEALOGY of Umerkot Jagir
{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Rana Chandra 1931 births 2009 deaths Pakistani Hindus Thari people Federal ministers of Pakistan People from Umerkot Pakistani MNAs 1977 Pakistani MNAs 1985–1988 Pakistani MNAs 1988–1990 Pakistani MNAs 1990–1993 Pakistani MNAs 1993–1996 Pakistani MNAs 1997–1999