Rajnath Singh
| President of Bharatiya Janata Party | |
|---|---|
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 23 January 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Nitin Gadkari |
| In office 24 December 2005 – 24 December 2009 | |
| Preceded by | Lal Krishna Advani |
| Succeeded by | Nitin Gadkari |
| Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh | |
| In office 2000–2002 | |
| Preceded by | Ram Prakash Gupta |
| Succeeded by | Mayawati |
| Constituency | Haidargarh |
| Member of Lok Sabha | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 2009 | |
| Constituency | Ghaziabad |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 10 July 1951 Bhabhaura, Chandauli district, Uttar Pradesh, India |
| Political party | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| Spouse(s) | Savitri Singh |
| Children | 2 sons 1 daughter |
| Alma mater | Gorakhpur University |
| Profession | Physics Lecturer |
| Website | Rajnath Singh |
| As of 23 January, 2013 | |
Rajnath Singh (born 10 July 1951) is an Indian politician who is the current president of Bharatiya Janata Party. He began his career as a physics lecturer and used his long-term connections with the nationalist organization Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh to become involved with the Janata Party. The involvement fruitioned into appointments in government offices in his home state of Uttar Pradesh. Significant political accomplishments include Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, as a Cabinet Minister in the National Democratic Alliance regime and as twice elected National President of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He was previously president of the BJP youth wing and the BJP's unit in his home state.
Early life
Rajnath Singh was born in the small village of Bhabhaura in the Chandauli district of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.[1] His father was Ram Badan Singh and his mother was Gujarati Devi.[2] He was born into a family of farmers and went on to secure a masters degree in physics, acquiring first division results from the Gorakhpur University.[2] Rajnath Singh had been associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh since 1964, at the age of 13 and remained connected with the organization even during his employment as a physics lecturer in Mirzapur.[2] In 1974, he was appointed secretary for the Mirzapur unit of the Bharatiya Jan Sangh, a Hindutva based political party.[2]
Political career
In 1975, aged 24, Rajnath Singh was appointed District President of the Jana Sangh.[2] In 1977, he was elected Member of Legislative Assembly from the Mirzapur constituency.[2] In 1984, he became state president of the youth wing, in 1986 he was appointed national general secretary of the youth wing.[2] In 1988, he finally rose to the position of National President in the BJP youth and was also elected into the Uttar Pradesh legislative council.[2]
In 1991, he became Education Minister in the first BJP government in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Major highlights of his tenure as Education Minister included Anti-Copying Act, 1992, rewriting history texts and incorporating vedic mathematics into the syllabus.[3] In April 1994, he was elected into the Rajya Sabha (Upper House of the Indian Parliament) and he became involved with the Advisory committee on Industry (1994–96), Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Agriculture, Business Advisory Committee, House Committee and the Committee on Human Resource Development.[2]
On 25 March 1997, he became the President of the BJP's unit in Uttar Pradesh and in 1999 he became the Union Cabinet Minister for Surface Transport.[2] In the NDA Government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Rajnath Singh took the job of Minister of Agriculture and was faced with the difficult task of maintaining one of the most volatile areas of India's economy.[4]
He was the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh from 28 October 2000 – 8 March 2002.
On 24 January 2013, following the resignation of Nitin Gadkari due to corruption charges, Rajnat Singh was re-elected as the BJP's National President.[5]
As Education Minister of Uttar Pradesh
Among those who took the pledge was Rajnath, the education minister. One of his first moves as minister was to bring, through an ordinance, the anti-copying law, making copying a non-bailable offence. [6]
As Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh
On 28th October 2000, he became Chief Minister of UP and was twice elected as MLA from Haidargarh. [6]
As Union Minister of Agriculture
On 24th May 2003, he became Union Minister of Agriculture and subsequently for Food Processing. During this period he initiated a few epoch making projects like Kisan Call Centre and Farm Income Insurance Scheme. [7]
First Term As BJP President
After BJP lost power in the 2004 general elections, it was forced to sit in the Opposition. After the resignation of prominent figure Lal Krishna Advani, and the murder of strategist Pramod Mahajan, Rajnath Singh sought to rebuild the party by focusing on the most basic Hindutva ideologies.[8] He has announced his position of "no compromise" in relation to the building of a Ram Temple in Ayodhya even at any cost.[8] He commends the rule of Vajpayee as Prime Minister, pointing towards all the developments the National Democratic Alliance made for the ordinary people of India.[citation needed] He has criticized the role of the English language in India, claiming that it causes erosion of cultural values.[9]
Second Term As BJP President
Rajnath Singh, was endorsed as BJP National President [10] by the BJP Parliamentary Board on January 23, 2013. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), also declared him as more acceptable choice for President. He joined the Sangh as a teen and his interest in politics was shaped by his association with the organisation. He has held posts in the RSS. .[11]
External links
Timeline
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Ram Prakash Gupta |
Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh 28 October 2000 – 8 March 2002 on 9 November 2000 state of Uttarakhand was created with post Chief Minister of Uttarakhand |
Succeeded by President's Rule Administered by the Governor of Uttar Pradesh, V K Shastri title/post subsequently held by- Mayawati |
References
- ↑ Christophe Jaffrelot. Books.google.co.in. Retrieved 2013-01-28.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 "Rajnath Singh: Profile". Zee News.
- ↑ "Who is Rajnath Singh? : India, News - India Today". Indiatoday.intoday.in. 2013-01-23. Retrieved 2013-01-28.
- ↑ "Courage, Mr Rajnath Singh". The Hindu.
- ↑ PTI 19 Dec 2009, 04.09pm IST (2009-12-19). "Rajnath steps down, Gadkari takes over as BJP president". The Times of India. Retrieved 2013-01-28.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Ref"
- ↑ "Ref"
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Ghatak, Lopamudra (23 December 2006). "It's basic instinct for Rajnath Singh". The Times of India.
- ↑ "BJP chief claims English bad for India, triggers outrage."
- ↑ "BJP National President"
- ↑ "Second Term as BJP National President."
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