Abhay Kumar Singh’s poster

Originally from Bihar, Abhay Singh was elected to Kursk city Assembly on a ticket of President Putin’s party

An India-born Russian has created history after becoming a lawmaker in a provincial Assembly of his adopted country. Abhay Kumar Singh, who originally belongs to Patna in Bihar but migrated to the erstwhile Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) in 1991, recently fought the local elections to the Kursk city Assembly on a ticket of “United Russia”, the ruling political party led by President Vladimir Putin, and won to become a “Deputat”, equivalent to a Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) in India, there.

Talking to The Sunday Guardian over phone, Deputat Singh said he had gone to Russia to study medicine after completing his graduation in India.

“My father passed away when I was just 13 years old. At that time only, I had decided to become a doctor. Hence, I came here. After graduating from the Kursk State Medical University, I went back to Patna to practice as a registered doctor there. But I came back here after sometime and entered the pharmaceutical business. However, gradually, I entered politics,” he said.

Singh joined Putin’s party last year and got a chance to contest elections this year. He said that initially, he used to feel awkward, being the only Indian-origin person among the Russian lawmakers, but now, he gets respect from his fellow lawmakers in the Assembly.

Asked why he joined the United Russia party, he said, “I was very impressed by the policies of Vladimir Putin as he has been able to bring back the clout of Russia in the world and so I felt that I should also contribute to his work.”

Singh now owns business establishments in Kursk town, which is famous in history books because it was here that the Russian forces were successfully able to stop the advancing German army from entering Russia in August 1943, which ultimately led to their defeat in World War II.

A student of Loyola School in Patna, Singh said he has not lost touch with India and was instrumental in organising the first International Yoga Day in Kursk in 2015.

“I am still interested in the political happenings in India, and I like Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar. I want that relations between India and Russia always stay warm as they have been. Everyone here still remembers the popular slogan ‘Hindi Russi Bhai Bhai’. That is the spirit that should govern our relations,” he added.