Hari Shankar Tiwari was an Indian gangster turned politician and social activist who served six terms as a Member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly and was the cabinet minister in the Uttar Pradesh government under five different Chief Ministers. He had a political career of more than 5 decades and worked with different popular politicians including Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and Mulayam Singh Yadav. He is known as a politician who had a strong base in the Brahmin community of Eastern Uttar Pradesh, particularly Gorakhpur.
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Who is Hari Shankar Tiwari ?
Hari Shankar Tiwari (1933 – 16 May 2023) was am Indian gangster and politician belonging to the Samajwadi Party from Gorakhpur in eastern Uttar Pradesh. Tiwari was a member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly from the village Tanda. Chillupar in Gorakhpur district.
Hari Shankar Tiwari Biography
Bio
Name
Hari Shankar Tiwari
Date of Birth
Source 1: August 1933 (Saturday) Source 2: August 1935 (Monday)
Birthplace
Tanda village in Chillupar, Gorakhpur district, Uttar Pradesh, India (then- United Province, British India)
Date of Death
16 May 2023
Place of Death
Dharamshala area of Gorakhpur
Age (at the time of death)
Source 1: 87 Years Source 2: 89 Years
Death Cause
Kidney and Heart disease
Zodiac sign
Leo
Nationality
Indian
Hometown
Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh
Religion
Hinduism
Cast
Brahmin
Education & Qualification
School
Name not Known
College/University
Gorakhpur University, Gorakhpur
Educational / Qualification
He pursued a Master of Arts at Gorakhpur University, Gorakhpur till 1961.
Family
Wife/Spouse
Ramlali Devi
Children
Son- 2 1. Bheeshma Shankar Tiwari alias Kushal Tiwari (politician) 2. Vinay Shankar Tiwari (politician) Daughter- 1 (Name Not Known)
Parents
Father- Bhola Nath (priest) Mother- Name not known
Siblings
Brother- 2 1. Shiv Shankar Tiwari (died in 2018 at age of 83 years) 2. Kishan Shankar Tiwari Sister- Name not known
in centimeters- 175 cm in meters- 1.75 m in feet & inches- 5’9″
Weight (approx)
in kilograms- 70 kg in pounds- 154 lbs
Eye Colour
Black
Hair Colour
Salt and pepper
Hari Shankar Tiwari Family
Harishankar Tiwari was once called Bahubali of Purvanchal. In the 80s, the name of Harishankar Tiwari from Purvanchal became famous all over the country. His sons Kushal Tiwari have been MPs and Vinay Shankar Tiwari have MLAs. Presently Vinay is in Samajwadi Party. Harishankar Tiwari’s nephew Ganesh Shankar Tiwari has been the chairman of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council.
Parents & Siblings
His father’s name was Bhola Nath who was a priest in his village. He had 2 younger brother named Shiv Shankar Tiwari, who passed away in 2018 at the age of 83 years, and Kishan Shankar Tiwari.
Political Party
Indian National Congress (INC)
All India Indira Congress (Tiwari)
Akhil Bhartiya Loktantrik Cogress
Political Journey
In 1985, he became MLA from Chillupar constituency in Uttar Pradesh for the first time.
In late 1980s, he joined the Indian National Congress (INC).
In 1996, he joined All India Indira Congress (Tiwari).
In October 1997, he formed his own political party, Akhil Bharatiya Loktantrik Congress.
He became MLA for 6 consecutive times from 1985 till 2007.
He served as cabinet minister under Kalyan Singh, Ram Prakash Gupta, Rajnath singh, Mayawati, and Mulayam Singh Yadav.
He lost the legislative elections in 2007 and 2012.
He retired from active politics after losing the 2012 legislative elections.
Career
Early Days into Politics
Hari Shankar Tiwari was active in student politics at Gorakhpur University. On 30 August 1979, when kauriram MLA from Janta Party, Ravindra Singh was murdered, Hari Shankar Tiwari’s name was registered in the FIR. His group later started competing for Railway scrap contracts and made money and bought guns with them.
He later had a competition with Virendra Pratap Shahi, a Rajput, for control over Gorakhpur. It is also alleged that Surti Narayan Mani Tripathi, also known as SNM Tripathi or Pandit Tripathi, wanted to lessen the dominance of Gorakhnath Math and helped Tiwari to open a Hata (coutyard} at his home and helps the local people as Math used to do.
This led to an enmity between Gorakhnath Math and Tiwari, which continued for his whole life. When Yogi Adityanath became the head of Gorakhnath Math, he became the leader of Rajputs, whereas Tiwari went on to become the leader of Brahmins.
Rise as the local leader
In 1995, while still in jail, he contested elections from the Chillupar Constituency as an independent candidate and defeated Congress’s Markendayanand by 21,728 votes. It was the first time in India’s history that a candidate won an election in that style.
It is widely believed that Hari Shankar Tiwari gave political protection to many gangsters including Shri Prakash Shukla and Amarmani Tripathi. Shri Prakash Shukla murdered Hari Shankar’s main political rival, Virendra Pratap Shahi, in 1997 in Lucknow.
Allegiance to different parties
While Hari Shankar won his first elections as an independent candidate, he joined Indian National Congress and developed a very close friendship with the Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi.
He later broke away from Congress and joined the All India Indira Congress (Tiwari), led by N. D. Tiwari. He later formed his own political party in October 1997 with Jagdambika Pal, Rajeev Shukla, Shyam Sunder Sharma, and Bacha Pathak and named it Akhil Bharatiya Loktantrik Congress.
He became Transport Minister in the 1997-1999 Kalyan Singh government (BJP).
He became the Stamp and Registration cabinet minister in Ram Prakash Gupta’s Uttar Pradesh government (BJP) in 2000.
He became the Science and Technology Minister in Rajnath Singh’s BJP Uttar Pradesh cabinet in 2001. He also served as a cabinet minister in Mayawati’s BSP government in 2002 and Mulayam Singh Yadav’s SP government in 2003. He won the legislative elections six consecutive times from 1985 to 2007.
Downfall
His political downfall started in 2007 when he lost the legislative election for the Chillupar seat in the 2007 elections to Rajesh Tripathi. He again lost the seat to him in the 2012 legislative elections. He retired from active politics after the defeat and never contested elections again; however, he continued wielding his influence in the area.
Protest against Yogi Adityanath
In April 2017, when Yogi Adityanath became the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, a police team raided his house to look for a robbery suspect. The police team did not have any court order to raid his house. It was the first time that police had entered his house. His supporters protested against the local administration on the streets of Gorakhpur. Tiwari himself said that Yogi was trying to harass him due to his old enmity.
Death
At 7:30 pm on 16 May 2023, he felt uneasy and passed away at his residence in the Dharamshala area of Gorakhpur. He was suffering from kidney and heart problems for the last 2-3 years. As per one source, he died at the age of 87 years, and as per another source, he passed away at the age of 89 years. His body was taken to Tanda, his ancestral village, where his followers paid their last obeisance to him. After his death, many people including former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh Singh Yadav, tweeted tributes to him.
Controversies
Criminal Activities
According to reports, Hari Shankar Tiwari was accused of providing political protection to local criminals and using them to exact revenge on his enemies. He was allegedly involved in over 35 cases related to murder and violence, including charges under the Anti-Terrorism Act, the National Security Act, and the Gangster (Prevention) Act. Despite the numerous charges against him, Tiwari was never convicted in any of the cases.
Alleging Yogi Adityanath of harassment
In April 2017, after Yogi Adityanath became the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, a police team raided the residence of Hari Shankar Tiwari to search for a robbery suspect. However, the police team did not have any court order to carry out the search. It was the first time that the police had entered his house, which led to his supporters protesting against the local administration on the streets of Gorakhpur. Tiwari himself alleged that Yogi was trying to harass him due to their past enmity.
Some Lesser Known Facts About Hari Shankar Tiwari
After finishing his education, he entered the world of politics.
In 1984, he enrolled for a PhD in Sociology, but he did not finish the program.
Hari Shankar Tiwari participated in student politics while studying at Gorakhpur University. On 30 August 1979, Ravindra Singh, an MLA from Kauriram and a member of the Janta Party, was assassinated. Hari Shankar Tiwari was mentioned in the First Information Report (FIR) related to the incident.
Afterwards, his group began to compete for contracts related to scrap materials from the railway and used the profits to purchase firearms.
Later, he engaged in a power struggle with Virendra Pratap Shahi, a member of the Rajput community, for dominance over Gorakhpur.
There are claims that Surti Narayan Mani Tripathi, also known as SNM Tripathi or Pandit Tripathi, aimed to reduce the influence of Gorakhnath Math. He allegedly assisted Tiwari in establishing a courtyard (Hata) at his residence, where they could offer assistance to the local community, similar to the activities carried out by the Math.
As a result, a long-standing feud developed between Gorakhnath Math and Tiwari, persisting throughout his lifetime. When Yogi Adityanath assumed leadership of Gorakhnath Math, he became the leader of the Rajput community, while Tiwari emerged as a leader representing the Brahmin community.
While he was still in jail, Hari Shankar Tiwari decided to run for elections from the Chillupar constituency as an independent candidate in 1985. He emerged victorious, defeating Markendayanand, who was representing the Congress party, by a significant margin of 21, 728 votes. This event marked the first time in India’s history that a candidate won an election while being imprisoned.
Many people believe that he provided political cover to numerous gangsters, including Shri Prakash Shukla and Amarmani Tripathi. In 1997, Shri Prakash Shukla, who was associated with Tiwari, killed Tiwari’s primary political opponent, Virendra Pratap Shahi, in Lucknow.
FAQ
What is the date of birth of Harishankar Tiwari?
Source1: 5 August 1933 (Saturday) Source 2: 5 August 1935 (Monday)
When did Harishankar Tiwari die
At 7:30 PM on 16 May 2023, he felt uneasy and passed away at his residence in the Dharamshala area of Gorakhpur.
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