Who fought to become coal king

                      JHARKHAND (DHANBAD)  Engaged in a war of attrition with two members of the family fighting against each other for the Jharia assembly seat. From controlling illegal activities in the coal business to spreading a reign of terror in Dhanbad and its surrounding areas for decades, the dreaded Singh clan, allegedly involved in several murder. Sanjiv Singh, son of Suryadeo Singh, is contesting on BJP ticket while his elder cousin, Niraj Singh, is the Congress candidate. Both share a bitter relationship, including legal wrangling over property.

                    Niraj an engineering graduate from Agra University, "But my electoral fight is not against him. It is against BJP, against the problems of Jharia like displacement, lack of Sanjiv is out to retain the seat, which his mother, Kunti Singh, won in 2005 and 2009 from BJP. "I want to serve the people of Jharia, which was represented by my parents (his father was MLA from 1977 till his death in 1991). But he (Niraj) is trying to come in my way," says Sanjiv, who is making his poll debut. I have come to Jharia because he has been messing around with me for the last few years. People here have not seen any development in the last 10 years when Kunti Devi was the MLA. I want to work for them. It's no anarchy and MLAship is not a matter of inheritance; in a democracy, people will decide their representative.

                   In 2009 assembly elections, Niraj made his debut from Dhanbad as an Independent and finished third. The next year, he became deputy mayor of Dhanbad as an Independent, but joined Congress in August this year. The rivalry between the cousins is not limited to the political arena. Locals say they have differences over business dealings, ancestral property and controlling Janta Mazdoor Sangh, a trade union started by Surajdeo that plays a major role in the coal belt.

                 Both the Singhs move around the area with their henchmen and armed escorts in SUVs. For the uninitiated, such has been the clout of the Singhs that one of the main characters (Ramadhir Singh) in the Anurag Kashyap-directed Gangs of Wasseypur (2012), which focused on Dhanbad's coal mafia, is said to be based on Suryadeo. In reality, one of Suryadeo's brothers is named Ramadhir. Tales of Suryadeo and his rivalry with trade unionists B P Sinha, S K Roy and et al are legendary in this part of the world.

                 Even stories about Congress leader Suresh Singh, touted as the 'coal king' following Suryadeo's death in 1991, abound. Going by police, Ramadhir's son Sashi shot Suresh at a wedding party in December 2011 and is since absconding. Ramadhir and Sanjiv were named accused in the case and the former is facing trial in another murder case. The family stands divided and its influence on the wane. While Sanjiv is backed by his uncles Ramadhir and Bikram Singh (who lives in their native place Ballia in UP), Niraj, son of late Rajan Singh, enjoys the support of his uncle and former minister Bachcha Singh.

               While Sanjiv (30) is into coal transport, 35-year-old Niraj has stakes in real estate and amusement business. Both deny wrongdoing. "Not a single person would say Suryadeo or his immediate family members ever interfered in anybody doing business. We are transparent and even allowed construction of multi-storey buildings from where anyone can see the goings on inside the mansion," avers Sanjiv, with his mother nodding in agreement. "My husband did a lot of good work for the people.