Vikalp Manch

About the Founder

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An interview with Shailendra

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Vikalp Manch

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Vikalp Samiti

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Vikalp Trust

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Vikalp Times

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Vikalp Gyan Kendra

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Vikalp Organic Farms

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Shailendra Youth Brigade

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Shailendra Singh was born at Village Fesuda in subdivision Sakaldiha of Distt. Chandauli in Uttar Pradesh on 10 November, 1966, in a family which was known for its integrity, high moral standards and for leading the society from the front in the hour of need. His grand father Late Shri Ram Roop Singh was a freedom fighter (organizer) and a man of honour. His father Late Shri Jagdish Singh was a Police Officer and rose to the post of Deputy S.P. in Uttar Pradesh Police. He was known for his honesty and sincere work and consequently had to face very frequent transfers as he never suited his political masters.  

With such a background, Shailendra Singh received his primary education at Village Fesuda, and, notwithstanding the frequent disruption in studies due to his Father's transfers, went on to complete his M.A. in Philosophy from Allahabad University in 1989, secured Research Fellowship from U.G.C. and was engaged in research for Ph.D. in Philosophy when he got selected in Uttar Pradesh Police Service in 1991.

He joined the Provincial Police Service in 1994 in the capacity of Deputy Superintendent of Police and served at Jaunpur, Varanasi, Barabanki and Lucknow during the 10 years of his total service period. He performed his duties with strict uprightness, courage and with unerring standards of truth and justice, in the process frequently facing severe political pressures to safeguard the culprits, which he always resisted vehemently. He persisted on acting as a "public servant", rather than as a "government servant" as was demanded out of him. It is notable that, in spite of annoying his political bosses, he managed to earn 'Excellent' grade in 9 years and 'Very Good' grade in remaining 1 year of his service period. Several instances of his uprightness and zealous workmanship can be sighted, a few of which are listed below:

• In 1998, he recovered 1,00,000 liters of adulterated mustard oil, in Varanasi,  three months before the dropsy disease (caused by adulterated mustard oil) became wide spread. A relative of the local Member of Parliament was involved and was booked in spite of severe opposition of the M.P. and even the Government. As a repercussion, he was suspended on the pretext of a fake planted bomb during the visit of Chief Minister,  but was reinstated in 10 days time on arrest of the real culprit, Divakar Singh, who happened to be Reader of the Inspector General of Police of Varanasi, certainly not by chance.

• He came in conflict with an M.L.A. of Varanasi when a cousin of the M.L.A. was arrested with looted saris worth Rs.50,00,000/-, within 2 days of the loot. Not succumbing under the political pressure, Shailendra Singh was transferred to Banda and then to Barabanki.

• In Barabanki, he arrested notorious Morphine and Heroine dealer Akeel alias Bhure, wanted in connection of seizure of 12 kilos of Heroine, from a Masjid on Jumma day in village Tikara of Police Station Zaidpur. The village had the reputation that no Police party could ever enter it without being accompanied by 2 Companies of PAC. Shailendra Singh managed it only with a small Police party and still without any resistance.

• Broke the racket of Coal Mafia in Barabanki and seized 36 trucks of coal. The mafia used to pay Rs.15,00,000/- per month to their political and administrative well wishers and he was offered a bribe of Rs.50,00,000/- , but he refused to oblige.

• In Barabanki, he refused the District Magistrate's order of shooting at farmers staging a huge demonstration at DM's residence led by State President of Bharatiya Kisan Union, Rajesh Singh Chauhan, and managed to pacify the farmers. The enraged D.M. threatened action, but could not carry it out, as the farmers strongly backed him.

• During his posting at Lucknow, he worked out involvement of Ex. Minister Ram Kumar Verma  in Indradeo murder case, arrested Corporator  Dr. Subhash (in Nishatganj Encroachment case), Lucknow University President Shailu (in extortion case), accomplices of BSA Ramesh Singh with Rs.10,00,000/- ( going to bribe a minister) etc. On this, a huge political furor was created that led to his transfer to C.B., C.I.D., Lucknow.

Then came the high water mark. During his posting as in-charge of STF unit of Varanasi in January, 2004, Shailendra Singh intercepted telephonic deal between the Mau MLA supporting the government, who is also a notorious criminal, and an absconder of the army, regarding sale of a Light Machine Gun stolen from the Army. After collecting sufficient proof, he arrested the absconder and recovered the LMG on 25 January 2004. He requested permission from the Government to book the MLA under POTA (Prevention Of Terrorist Activities Act). Upon this, almost whole of the Political Leadership and the Government machinery came out openly to protect the culprit MLA. Shailendra Singh was called to Lucknow on the pretext of evaluation meeting and the Varanasi office of STF unit was shut down. Protesting against the political intervention to save a criminal, Shailendra Singh resigned from the service and faxed his resignation letter to the Hon. Governor on 11 February, 2004, holding that law should apply equally to everybody, as well to a Politician as to a common man. This created a huge uproar in the Assembly and the Chief Minister had to himself say that he doesn't care for the bureaucrats and that no Politician could be booked under POTA.

After resignation, Shailendra Singh decided to contest the forthcoming Parliamentary Elections as an independent candidate. The aim was to present the public with a new direction of electoral politics which would be against the clout of money-power and muscle-power in politics and against criminalisation of politics. It was a huge call considering the facts that there was hardly one and a half month left for the elections, there was neither money nor any organizational strength and he did not have even a single vehicle nor a house to live in. Still he decided to contest the election on following pretexts:

• There is no paucity of good people who still go out to vote at the call of their heart.

• If good people keep running away from Politics, the criminal elements are going to get a walkover.

• The criminal elements, wielding money-power and muscle-power have deliberately made the elections costly enough to alienate the common man from fighting elections. Since every party is fielding same type of candidate, the common man has also lost interest in voting. Thus under a well thought strategy, common man is being alienated from both processes of democracy - contesting elections and voting. So, what we are having today may better be called a pseudo-democracy. This process has to be reversed.

• Elections can be fought even without money, by small contributions from the voters themselves, if the candidate is good enough. And this needs to be shown. If the public chooses a candidate contesting without money, he will be the true  representative of the public, working for the public and not for the financers of his election expenses.

• If the public elects good people contesting without money or muscle-power, the political parties will also, in time, understand what the public actually wants. Then they will also start giving tickets to good workers of the party, who today, in spite of all the efforts being put in, cannot even dream of getting party ticket without having money or muscle power. This trend may usher in a new direction in Indian politics, and then only we can have Democracy in true sense of the term.

Thus, he went to file his nomination papers, standing on a cycle-rickshaw, without a single vehicle, but surrounded by thousands of supporters. The election campaign was unprecedented. The people of Varanasi had never witnessed such a thing. Thousands of rupees got collected at every election meeting from the 1 rupee - 2 rupee contributions from the general public. Huge gatherings listened him speaking at public meetings with pin-drop silence. There was a large vehicle procession comprising about 50 four-wheelers and about 400 two wheelers, all of it brought in by self motivated people using there own petrol.

Though he lost the election, may be due to lack of expertise or lack of time or lack of poll management, he succeeded in showing a new way of contesting elections to the people of Varanasi. He secured record number of votes ever polled by an independent candidate in Varanasi.

After elections, he has embarked on the mission of presenting a Vikalp - an alternative to the existing system in political, social, economic and cultural fields. Also he felt the need of a common platform for all organizations working with similar objectives. Thus he constituted the Vikalp Manch to work towards these objectives.