BJP MLA from the Sarojini Nagar Assembly segment in Lucknow, Dr Rajeshwar Singh, is a prominent face, because of his role in the bureaucracy and in politics. Known for his tenure as Joint Director of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and now as the saffron party legislator from the state capital, Singh belongs to a family of top bureaucrats.
Over the past four years, his constituency has witnessed remarkable development in the fields of education, infrastructure, industry, health, transport, environment, and social welfare. Most new projects of Lucknow were established in his area. Whether it is the BrahMos missile unit, Ashok Leyland, Defence Industrial Corridor, AI City, Foreign Languages University, and several others, all came during his tenure.
He has also acted in the 2011 film ‘Kya Yahi Sach Hai’, which talked about rampant corruption within the police force and the politician-police nexus. Singh spoke with Manoj Bhadra. Excerpts:
Q: You are known as a tough policeman and investigator. But suddenly you left the flourishing Civil Services and joined politics. What was the reason for the step ?
A: I feel that everyone who achieves the top position in any field should join politics to serve the nation and society. Though there are several efficient politicians, there is still a dearth of expertise in several fields. It is the duty of every individual who can serve the nation with expertise to join politics and enrich the country. I never thought during my early career that I would join politics, but after achieving all my goals, I decided to join politics.
Q : Tellus about the achievements in your political life as the MLA from the most important Assembly segment of the state.
A: There are hundreds of things done during this four-year term in my constituency, but the major achievement is that more than 20,000 new jobs have been generated with the establishment of a DRDO unit of the BrahMos Missile, a new unit of Ashok Leyland EC Bus manufacturing, and several other small and big industrial units in the Sarojini Nagar area. Besides this, the establishment of Bhartendu Natya Academy, English and Foreign Languages University, Uttar Pradesh State Forensic Science Institute (UPSIFS), Lucknow University’s Agriculture Campus, DRDO Laboratory, inclusion in the State Capital Region (SCR), launch of the Aero City concept, development of an IT Hub, and construction of Terminal-3 at Lucknow Airport, along with several others, have taken place.
Q: You have demanded that UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath bring an area-wise demography policy to control the population and spruce up developmental projects as per needs. What is this demography policy?
A: The proposal aims to promote balanced population growth, women’s empowerment, and social harmony through targeted policy measures. I have called for the introduction of an ‘Area-Wise Demographic Policy’ (ADP) in Uttar Pradesh, citing the growing demographic “imbalance” between Hindu and Muslim populations in the state. I have written a letter to the CM demanding that the government frame a policy aimed at ensuring balanced population growth, women’s empowerment, and social harmony through focused efforts in education, health, family planning, and migration management. You must be aware that the share of Hindu population in Uttar Pradesh fell by around five percentage points, while the Muslim population increased by a similar margin over the same period. If this balance continues to shift unchecked, both social harmony and development will be affected. This ADP proposal is not against any community; it aims to build an educated, equitable, and harmonious Uttar Pradesh. Under the proposed policy, districts and blocks would be classified into ‘Green,’ ‘Amber,’ and ‘Red’ zones based on five key indicators: total fertility rate (TFR), child marriage prevalence, age at first birth, female education levels, and migration balance. The proposed ADP would promote data-driven governance that transcends caste and religious lines.
Q: We also learn that you have suggested to CM Adityanath to set up a full-time Commission to regulate, monitor, and govern the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Uttar Pradesh. Tell us about it ?
A: Recently I met the Chief Minister and urged him to set up an AI Commission. At this juncture, the AI Commission is required to help formulate policies/schemes by SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis for matters relating to AI and to create public awareness of both the pros and cons of artificial intelligence, with the Principal Secretary/Special Secretary/Secretary (IT) as Member Secretary of the commission. The AI industry, which is currently valued at USD 100 billion, is predicted to rise 20-fold by 2030. AI systems can be deployed to record and maintain a database of criminals based on biometric identities/facial recognition. Improvements in fingerprint and facial recognition systems would contribute to efficient forensic analysis of crimes. Satellite imaging technology can be used to monitor geographical factors and efficiently predict future disasters and timely deploy required resources for evacuation of people. I have also suggested to the CM to include AI in the syllabus in schools for children from Standard 3 or 5, so that students get to know about this new technology from the beginning.
Q: You have also raised the State Capital Region (SCR), similar to the NCR, for speedy development of the state capital and its adjoining districts. Please tell about it.
A: Yes, I have drafted an SCR policy for the region, and it will certainly create a developmental spree in the region like NCR. The state government is positive about this draft proposal. Lucknow is no longer an ordinary city but has become one of the fastest-growing metropolises in North India. Its population is projected to reach approximately 4.2-4.5 million by 2025 and exceed 6 million by 2035 (UN-Habitat/UPDES Projection 2024). The city has expanded to about 900 Sq Km, including the 631 Sq km municipal corporation area and peripheral gram sabhas, including suburbs like Sarojini Nagar, Mohanlalganj, and Kakori, making it larger in area than Singapore and equivalent to the suburbs of Delhi-NCR. But the administrative structure is still departmental, manual, and reactive, while the need is for a data-driven, integrated, and future-oriented governance model. Besides, Lucknow’s population growth rate is 2.7 per cent per annum, but infrastructure expansion is only 1.2 per cent per annum. This difference will create serious urban pressure in the future. The current crisis facing Lucknow is that the city is expanding in an unplanned and unorganised manner, and about 45 per cent of the population lives in unauthorised or unplanned colonies.
Q: Lastly, what is your comment on the ongoing University Grant Commission (UGC) regulation issue, and what is your advice to students and youth who are agitating on the matter?
A: I have already expressed my statement in the party forum, and I am not ready to give any public statement as I am a disciplined party worker. The government will certainly look into the issue and will solve the matter soon. However, I advise the youth not to get involved in this issue, as people try to take advantage of their feelings for their vested interests. People want to divide society like the British did. Can you imagine that around 2 lakh Britishers made this huge country a slave just by creating divisions among us?