Former Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar speaks at a function organised to mark the 12th death anniversary of Jharia legislator Suryadeo Singh at Katras More on Sunday. Picture by Ezhar Alam

Dhanbad, June 15: All is not well in the family of late coal baron, Suryadeo Singh, with his son and brother attending his 12th death anniversary function in Jharia for a very short duration.

Talks of “differences” in the family have been doing the rounds for some time. What, however, became embarrassing for Singh’s brother Bachcha Singh, urban development minister in the Arjun Munda government, was that the bickering came to the fore in the presence of former Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar.

Shekhar, a close friend of Suryadeo Singh, was seen as the family’s “mentor”. The former Prime Minister was the chief guest at the function organised by the Suryadeo Singh Memorial Foundation at Katras More in Jharia, from where the late coal mafia don controlled his empire.

Singh’s eldest son Rajiv Ranjan and brother Ramadhin Singh came to the function but stayed for a very short time.

Family sources said the two were not getting along well with Bachcha Singh ever since Rajiv Ranjan was arrested in connection with the kidnapping of Dhanbad industrialist Ashok Jalan two years ago.

Sources close to the family said Chandra Shekhar’s visit was significant as the former Prime Minister — considered to be the mentor of the coal magnate — was trying hard to reunite the family and was appealing to all members to cast their differences aside and iron out the misunderstandings that have dogged the Singhs for the past few years.

Political sources said Bachcha Singh, who represents Jharia in the Assembly, is eager to disassociate himself with the underworld connections and lead a “clean political life”.

But, the sources added, the cases involving Ranjan and Ramadhin have hindered his attempts to delink himself from the mafia connections the family allegedly has.

At the function, Chandra Shekhar spoke more on his relations with Surya Singh, who, besides being a coal baron, was a trade union leader who founded the Janata Mazdoor Sangh, and criticised the media for “branding” him a “mafia don”.

“It is the media and Singh’s detractors who branded him a don. He was a dynamic trade union leader in the coal belt,” he said.

“Suryadeo Singh worked in the interests of the people and the workers of the coal belt. He performed his duties as a legislator well and was a popular leader,” the former Prime Minister said. He recalled the days when Singh and he were lodged in ail together during the Emergency.