Randeep Surjewala

Randeep Singh Surjewala (born 3 June 1967) is an Indian politician and a member of Indian National Congress party. He is an MLA in the Haryana state legislature and a former minister. He held water supply and sanitation, parliamentary affairs, electronics and information technology, science and technology and public works as a minister in Haryana cabinet. In 2005, he was given the responsibility of Transport and Parliamentary Affairs and thus became the youngest minister in Haryana. He defeated Om Prakash Chautala in 1996 and 2005.

Randeep Singh Surjewala was born in a Hindu Jat family at Chandigarh as the youngest and fourth child of Ch. Shamsher Singh Surjewala and Vidya. His father was then Minister for Agriculture & Co-operatives of Haryana. He has three elder sisters – Madhu Dalal, Poonam Chaudhery and Neeru.

He went to Adarsh Bal Mandir and Arya Higher Secondary School, Narwana. He did his Bachelor of Commerce (Hons.) (1981–85) from DAV School and his Bachelor of Law degree (1985–88) from Faculty of Law, Panjab University, Chandigarh. During his years in Law Faculty, he remained Member of the Consultative Committee of the Faculty as also Chairman of the Lawyer’s Forum. He was also awarded his master's degree in Political Science by the same University in April 1995.

His father was expelled from Yadvindra State High School by the ruler of Sangrur for espousing the agenda of Indian National Congress. In September 1957, his father started his law practice as an ace lawyer specializing in criminal law and jurisprudence but amiably graduated to grassroots politics. He was first elected as Managing Director of Central Co-operative Bank, Sangur in 1959-60 and then as Chairman of Panchayat Samiti, Kalayat (now in District Kaithal) in 1961 and again in 1964. Randeep’s father is also a veteran Parliamentarian having been elected to Haryana Legislative Assembly in 1967, 1977, 1982, 1991 and 2005 and to Indian Parliament in 1993.

As a lawyer

Randeep Surjewala started his practice as an advocate at 21 in 1988. He commenced his practice with the solicitors firm ‘Shroff & Company, New Delhi’ in 1988 and later in the High Court of Punjab & Haryana at Chandigarh in 1991. Besides corporate and commercial litigation, he took up issues relating to farmers for their land.

Organisational roles

At the age of 17, he was appointed as the youngest General Secretary of Haryana Pradesh Youth Congress. He was also appointed as the Youngest Senator of the Punjab University, Chandigarh in 1992. He also remained a Member of the Faculty Consultative Committee in the Law Faculty. He was again the youngest member to the syndicate of Punjab University, Chandigarh from 1995–96 and member of Academic Council, Member of Joint Consultative Committee and Youth Affairs Committee of the Punjab University Chandigarh. He also served as Chairman of the Haryana Lawyers’ Forum from 1990-95. From 1987-90, he was an active participant to rebuild the Congress in Haryana alongside his father, then PCC President.

In March 2000, Randeep became first ‘Haryanvi’ to be appointed as the National President of the Indian Youth Congress (IYC). He continued to be the President up till February 2005, thus making it the longest tenure in the history of IYC. In August 2004, he was appointed as Secretary of All India Congress Committee, the youngest office bearer. In the run-up to the Assembly elections in Haryana, he was appointed as Working President of Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee in December 2004 at the age of 37, the youngest President of PCC in the State.

Elections

He contested four elections to the Haryana Legislative Assembly, 1993 bye election, 1996, 2000 and 2005. The party chose to field him against former Chief Minister, Om Prakash Chautala. He won in 1996 and 2005 defeating him on both the occasions, a historical victory over then sitting Chief Minister.

As a Minister

In March 2005, Randeep was inducted as youngest Cabinet Minister in Haryana Cabinet headed by Chief Minister, Bhupinder Singh Hooda with portfolios of Transport & Civil Aviation; PWD (Water Supply & Sanitation) and Parliamentary Affairs. Since September 2007; Randeep was a Minister for Power; PWD (Water Supply & Sanitation) and Parliamentary Affairs and heads the Standing Policy Framing Committee on Civil Aviation. In November 2009, Randeep Singh Surjewala became Cabinet minister in Haryana Government, and held the portfolios of Water Supply and Sanitation, Parliamentary Affairs, Electronics and Information Technology, Science and Technology and Public Works (Building and Roads) Department.

Randeep Surjewala married to Gayatri in December 1991 and has two sons Arjun and Aditya.