Sahib Singh Verma

Sahib Singh Verma Biography

Sahib Singh Verma was an Indian politician associated with Bharatiya Janata party. He has also served as the vice-president of the Bharatiya Janata Party and Chief Minister of Delhi (1996–1998). As a member of 13th Lok Sabha during the period 1999 to 2000, he served as the Union Labour Minister of India. He died in a car accident in 2007 on the Jaipur-Delhi highway Rajasthan aged 64. He was returning to Delhi after laying a foundation stone for a school in Sikhar. He was the owner of a national Hindi daily newspaper called Haribhumi and was known as a reputed teacher in the Delhi circle. He is the former president of World Jat Aryan Foundation.

Verma was born in Delhi on 15 March 1943 into a Jat (traditionally agricultural community) family. His father Mir Singh was a farmer. He was married to to Sahib Kaur, and the couple had 5 children. His son Pravesh Verma is a politician and former MLA and parliamentarian belonging to BJP. He completed PG in Library Science from AMU. After completing PhD degree in Library Science, he started his professional career as a librarian in Bhagat Singh College, Delhi. He started his association with social service and politics, closely working with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh as a volunteer. He closely worked with World Jat Aryan Foundation and has served as its president’s too.

His active political career began in 1977 when he got elected to Municipal Corporation of Delhi. In 1993, he won state assembly elections to become Education and Development Minister of Delhi. When Madan Lal Khurana forced to resign CM post following the Hawala case, he was elected as Chief Minister in 1996. He faced rivalry from Khurana and later had to resign the post following high onion prices. But he returned in a bang by winning Lok Sabha elections, 1999 from Outer Delhi with a margin of over two lakh votes and was induced to Vajpayee’s cabinet where he served as Minister of Labour. He was known as "bull in a China shop" for his stand against lowering PF interest rates. But he was defeated in the 2004 polls.

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Updated: January 04, 2016