Arun Nehru


Arun Kumar Nehru was an Indian politician and columnist. He was member of the 9th Lok Sabha from Bilhaur as a Janata Dal leader. Earlier, he was member of the 7th and 8th Lok Sabhas from Rae Bareli on an Indian National Congress ticket.

Role in 1984 Anti-Sikh riots

Arun Nehru was as hard-boiled as Dick Cheney, a backroom power-broker, famous for his bullying tactics. He played a pivotal role in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. The riots broke out after the Assassination of Indira Gandhi. According to then petroleum secretary Avtar Singh Gill, Nehru gave "clearance" for the killings in Delhi. His strategy was to "catch Sikh youth, fling a tyre over their heads, douse them with kerosene and set them on fire.". He further retorted, "This will calm the anger of the Hindus".

Career

Arun Nehru was born in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, and had worked in business for 17 years, from the age of 20, before he entered politics. He was president of the Jenson and Nicholson group at the time when Prime Minister Indira Gandhi persuaded him to change career. As a representative of the Indian National Congress, Nehru was a member of Parliament in the 7th Lok Sabha and 8th Lok Sabha from Rae Bareli. Aside from sitting on various consultative committees during this time, he was Union Minister of State for Energy and for Home Affairs in 10th ministry of India. Later, he left the INC for Janata Dal and was elected to the 9th Lok Sabha from Bilhaur in 1989, where he was Union Minister for Commerce and Tourism.
During his tenure as minister in the Home department in 1985–86, he was allegedly involved in the Czech pistol case, where a deal with the Czechoslovakian firm Merkuria Foreign Trade Corp. had resulted in a loss of around. A 20-year investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation led to submission of a report in 2007. This found no incriminating evidence. The trial court, however, rejected the CBI report and found Nehru's involvement enough to continue the proceedings. In March 2013, the Supreme Court stayed those proceedings, based on the report.

Personal life

Nehru was born on 24 April 1944. His father was Anand Kumar Nehru, a member of the Nehru-Gandhi family. He studied at La Martinière Boys College, Lucknow, and Lucknow Christian College. He was married in 1967 to Subhadra and had two daughters. He has 3 grandsons. Akhil Madan, Yash Madan and Vickram Tikkoo. He died on 25 July 2013 in Gurgaon.