New Delhi: Amar Singh, who stole the limelight as a political heavyweight and a friend of corporate honchos and Bollywood stars, fell a long way from grace yesterday when a court sent him to Tihar Jail on charges of corruption.
For years, Singh, now 55, was among the most vocal voices in Indian politics and parliament, one who took on all and sundry, just about anyone who disagreed with him.
He mocked at Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her Italian origins (before making a U-turn) and made fun of even the tallest leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
At other times, he took on Lalu Prasad, Mayawati and friends-turned-foes, the Marxists.
Singh acquired an enviable political clout that arose from his mysterious proximity to Samajwadi Party chief and former defence minister Mulayam Singh Yadav.
In the process, despite being a late entrant, he secured a veto power in the party, much to the chagrin of old-time socialists.
Key in coalition
He also played a key role in the coalition politics of the 1990s that saw two short-lived United Front governments.
When the Samajwadi Party ruled Uttar Pradesh (2002-07), Singh was Yadav's pointsman in the national capital.
He used the occasion to host former US president Bill Clinton in Lucknow.
Singh's first major setback came when tapes of his telephone conversations with several people, including Bollywood actresses, emerged.
Singh's fall began in 2009 when Yadav's daughter-in-law Dimple lost the Firozabad Lok Sabha by-election to Raj Babbar.
Dimple's husband Akhilesh Yadav blamed Singh for the defeat. And once he lost his protection, Amar Singh's world crashed.
Singh was arrested on charges of arranging money that was given to BJP MPs allegedly to vote for the government during a July 2008 parliament vote over the India-US nuclear deal.
Singh, who hails from eastern Uttar Pradesh, started off as a small-time businessman and worked for the Congress before gravitating towards Yadav.
He called Amitabh Bachchan his brother and was linked with a few actresses. After Yadav, his closest companion was Jayaprada, a one-time Bollywood star.
When he quit the Samajwadi Party, she followed him. But yesterday he was all alone when he went to Tihar Jail — save for two former MPs of the BJP.
