Amarinder Singh

Captain Amarinder Singh (Punjabi: ਅਮਰਿੰਦਰ ਸਿੰਘ; born March 11, 1942), is the current Maharaja of Patiala. He served as the Chief Minister of Punjab from 2002 to 2007 and presently serves as the President of Punjab PCC. He currently resides in New Moti Bagh Palace, Patiala.

Background

Captain Singh is the son of late Maharaja of Patiala His Highness Yadavindra Singh , and Her Highness Maharani Mohinder Kaur , Rajmata of Patiala. He is the head of the royal house of Patiala belonging to the Phulkian dynasty. He attended the Lawrence School Sanawar and The Doon School, Dehradun. He has two children: Yuvraj Raninder Singh and Maharajkumari Jai Inder Kaur. He is a keen flyer and golfer and shooter.

Army background

He was commissioned in the Indian Army in June 1963 and resigned in early 1965. He rejoined the Army immediately because hostilities broke out with Pakistan and took part in the actual operations in war against Pakistan and again resigned after the war was over in early 1966.

A soldier-turned-politician, Singh was a personal friend of, and was inducted into the Congress, by Rajiv Gandhi. Singh quit the Congress in protest against Operation Bluestar - in which security forces attacked the Sikhs holiest shrine the Golden Temple in Amritsar, Punjab. In the immediate aftermath of Operation Bluestar, the then prime minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated. Singh went on to join the Akali Dal. Patiala royal...
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