Raja Ram Pal

{{Short description|Indian politician}} {{Use Indian English|date=December 2015}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2015}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Raja Ram Pal | image = | caption = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1960|11|20|df=y}} | birth_place = sirhoi, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh | death_date = | death_place = | constituency = Akbarpur | office = | term = Member of Parliament: 2004-2009, 2009-2014 | predecessor = | successor = | party = Samajwadi Party since October 2021,BSP, INC | spouse = R.K.Devi | children = 2 sons and 1 daughter | website = | footnotes = | date = 22 September | year = 2006 | source = [http://164.100.24.208/ls/lsmember/biodata.asp?mpsno=4105 Parliament of India official biography] }}

'''Raja Ram Pal''' (born 20 November 1960) is an Indian politician with the Samajwadi Party, and was a member of the 15th Lok Sabha from Akbarpur (Lok Sabha constituency). Earlier, as a member of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), he had been a member of the 14th Lok Sabha from Bilhaur,<ref name=official>{{cite web|url=http://164.100.24.208/ls/lsmember/biodata.asp?mpsno=312 |title=Official biography |publisher=Parliament of India records |accessdate=2007-03-28 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060615194134/http://164.100.24.208/ls/lsmember/biodata.asp?mpsno=312 |archivedate=15 June 2006 }} </ref> before being expelled on 23 December 2005, along with ten others, after the sting Operation Duryodhana. The expulsion was sub judice when the 14th Lok Sabha finished its term.

==Life==

The son of Ram Nath Pal and Rukmani Devi, Raja Ram was born in the town Sirohi and attended D.A.V. College, Kanpur. After his LLB, he joined the law profession. In 1996, he joined the BSP and was elected to the Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha, and in 2004 to the 14th Lok Sabha.

During 1996-2002 he was member of Uttar Pradesh Assembly.

He is married to Mrs. R.K. Devi and has two sons and one daughter.

==Political career==

In the sting Operation Duryodhana<ref name=duryodhana> {{cite web |title = Operation Duryodhana |url = http://www.cobrapost.com/documents/one.htm |author = Aniruddha Bahal |url-status = dead |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20120423083408/http://www.cobrapost.com/documents/one.htm |archivedate = 23 April 2012 |df = dmy-all }} </ref> by the Noida based media firm Cobrapost, aired 12 December 2005 on the Indian Hindi news TV Channel Aaj Tak, Raja Ram Pal was caught on video accepting bribes of Rs. 35,000 for fielding questions in parliament.

At one point, he says that the price of getting MPs to sign on to any petition is Rs. 25,000 per MP. He wants the money in advance; he underlines this with a colourful Hindi couplet: :''sasta roye baar-baar, mehnga roye ek baar'' :(if you throw little money you will cry again and again, but if you throw big money you will cry only once).<ref name=duryodhana/>

===Expulsion from Parliament=== On 23 December 2005 he was expelled from the Lok Sabha following the adoption of a motion calling for the expulsion of all 11 MPs caught in the sting.

The scam also led to Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati expelling him from the party, along with three others.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.indianexpress.com/oldStory/84757/|title = Mayawati acts tough, expels four BSP MPS|date = 27 December 2005}}</ref> Subsequently, he joined the Indian National Congress and was elected in the 2009 Indian general elections.

He joined the Samajwadi Party on a rally in presence of Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav in 2021.

==References== <references/>

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pal, Raja Ram}} Category:1960 births Category:Living people Category:People from Kanpur Nagar district Category:India MPs 2004–2009 Category:India MPs 2009–2014 Category:Uttar Pradesh MLAs 1997–2002 Category:People from Akbarpur, Ambedkar Nagar Category:Lok Sabha members from Uttar Pradesh Category:United Progressive Alliance candidates in the 2014 Indian general election Category:Bahujan Samaj Party politicians from Uttar Pradesh Category:Indian National Congress politicians from Uttar Pradesh Category:Samajwadi Party politicians from Uttar Pradesh