Profiles of State Ministers
The Hindu: 21 March, 1998

   | Union Ministers | | State Ministers |

 

Omak Apang Mr. Omak Apang, a first timer in politics and the eldest son of the Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister, Mr. Gegong Apan, is the youngest minister in the Vajpayee Ministry. Born in March 11, 1971, Mr. Apang graduated from Delhi university and got his MBA degree from the International Centre for Public Enterprises, Slovenia, Europe. Mr. Apang received his early education in the Rama Krishna: Mission School and higher schooling education from Modern School, New Delhi. The managing director of The Arunachal Times, the English daily published from Delhi, Mr Omak Apang is also a good footballer. He is the president of the All-Arunachal Taekwondo Association and president of the All-Arunanchal Body Building Association. He took active part in mass literacy campaign in remote border area and organised seminars, mass contact programmes to create awareness amongst the people for adopting eco-friendly development programmes. S. S. Badal It was another addition to the "son-of-theleader" story when Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal was sworn in as a Minister of State. Mr. Sukhbir, son of the Shiromani Akali Dal president and Chief Minister, Mr. Parkash Singh, was born in July 1962. Having done his schooling from Lawrence School, Sanawar and M.A. (with honours in economics) from Punjab University, Chandigarh, the leader's son was sent not to the political field but for higher studies to California. He completed his MBA in 1984 from Los Angeles University and preferred continuing his studies rather than opting for the political stint. But the inevitable had to happen now or a bit later. In the 1996 Lok Sabha election, he was elected for the first time from Faridkot and retained the seat in the recently-concluded Lok Sabha elections. B. Dattatreya The BJP Andhra Pradesh unit president and a crusader endowed with philanthropic zeal, Mr. Bandaru Dattatreya, affectionately called "Dattanna", has the image of man with a correct mix of experience as an organiser and as well as parliamentarian. Born to a poor family at Gowliguda in Hyderabad in 1946, Mr. Dattatreya joined the RSS as a pracharak after graduating in science from Osmania University. Uma Bharati The BJP's firebrand leader and powerful orator, Ms. Uma Bharati, who describes her profession as "religious missionary", makes her debut in the Union Government as a Minister of State. The 39-year-old Bharati, who studied upto only sixth standard as per her bio-data in "who's who" of the tenth Lok Sabha, became vice-president of the party's Madhya Pradesh unit in 1988. Dalit Ezhilmalai A former Army officer, Mr. Dalit Ezhilmalai, is the general secretary of Pattali Makkal Katchi,(PMK), a constituent of the AIADMK-BJP alliance. A multi-linguist, he was imprisoned nine times in various agitation related to reservation issue in the State. Mr. Ezhilmalai, who took part in the Indo-Pakistan war of 1971, was also a recipient of K Sainik Seva Medal from the President for meritorious service in the Army. Maneka Gandhi Ardent environmentalist and rebel daughter-in-law of Indira Gandhi, the outspoken, Ms. Maneka Gandhi returns to the Centre for the third lime as a Minister of State. A former model and editor of Surya India magazine, Ms. Gandhi entered politics in 1982 after her husband Sanjay's death. A vocal advocate of prevention of cruelty to animals, she is also a widely read columnist. She joined the Janata Party in 1988 with the Sanjay Vichar Manch that she had formed in 1983. Babu Lal Marandi Mr. Babu Lal Marandi, a new entrant to Parliament, has been inducted for the first time in the BJP-led government at the Centre. Mr. Marandi, who belongs to a middle class family, began his political career with the BJP in 1990. He also headed the organisation of Santhalpargana. Born on January 11, 1958 at Kodai Banka in Girdih District in Bihar Mr Marandi son of Late Chotu Marandi, became U.P. president of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Front in 1991 and later served the Vananchal Committee as chairman in 1993. R.K. Kumar A Tamil writer and practicing chartered accountant, Mr. R. K. Kumar. joined the AIADMK when the late MGR launched the party in 1972 and went on to become a Rajya Sabha member two years ago. Mr. Kumar, 55, who was sworn in is the deputy leader of AIADMK group in the Rajya Sabha. As a Rajya Sabha member, he served in the Public Accounts Committee for two consecutive terms and was member of the Standing Committee for Petroleum and Natural Gas and Consultative Committee of Ministry of Finance. M. A. Naqvi Mr. Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi was born at Allahabad on October 15, 1957. A graduate from Allahabad University, Mr. Naqvi had started to take active part in the politics since his student life and was the president of students union of CAV Inter College in 1975. He joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in 1984 and was elected vice-president of party's youth wing, the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha for two terms. Ram Naik A veteran politician from Maharashtra, Mr. Ram Naik, entered national politics with his election to the Lok Sabha in 1989. He was reelected in 1991, 1996 and 1998. A keen parliamentarian, 64-year-old Mr. Ram Naik has done considerable work in matters relating to Railways. He was Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee in 1995-96. A. K. Patel Dr. A. K. Patel, who has been representing the BJP in the Lok Sabha since 1984 from Gujarat, makes his first entry into the Union Ministry. A freedom fighter, Dr. Patel held the posts of vice-president of BJS and then BJP. He became president of BJP's State unit in 1984. He was a member of Gujarat Assembly from 1975 to 1984 and also in various committees of the State Assembly. Baba Gowda Patil Spearheading a farmers' movement in northern Karnataka, especially sugarcane growers, Mr. Baba Gowda Patil was elected to the Lok Sabha for the first time and is expected to take up the cause of agriculturists in a big way. A graduate in science and agriculturist by profession, Mr. Patil first became a member of the Karnataka Assembly in 1989 on a Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha KRRS) ticket. The 52-year-old leader. who has grown up in politics organising rural people, had won from two constituencies-Kittur and Dharwad- but vacated the latter. D. Pradhan Dr. Deependera Pradhan, elected from Orissa as a BJP candidate, makes his ministerial debut at the Centre with his induction into the Union Council of Minister. Given Minister of State rank in the government Dr. Pradhan was elected from Deogarh Lok Sabha constituency in the recent poll. A doctor turned politician Dr Pradhan had made three unsuccessful bids to enter Lok Sabha from the Deogarh Lok Sabha constituency in 1984, 1991 and 1996. K. Purkayastha It has been a meteoric rise for the RSS pracharak Mr. Kabindra Purkayastha who is a founder member of the BJP in Assam. He took to active politics soon after the Emergency. Mr. Purkayastha unsuccessfully contested the 1980 and 1985 elections as the Janata Party and the BJP nominee respectively but failed to make it to the Assembly. His first success came in 1991 when he became one of the two MPs from Assam Lor the BJP. He defeated Mr. Nurul Hoonda, the veteran CPI(M) leader. But he lost the 1996 election as Mr. Santosh Mohan Dev returned from Tripura to contest the Silchar seat again. He avenged that defeat by beating Mr. Dev by a margin of over 20,000 votes in the elections to the 12th Lok Sabha. Vasundhara Raje The former Maharani of Dholpur, Ms. Vasundhara Raje, is an experienced parliamentarian who has been holding the Jhalawar Lok Sabha seat since 1989. Born on March 8,1953 in Mumbai, daughter of veteran BJP leader, the former Rajmata of Gwalior, Mrs. Vijay Raje Scindia, Ms. Vasundhara Raje entered the poll arena in 1984 when she unsuccessfully contested the Bhind parliamentary seat of Madhya Pradesh as BJP nominee. She shifted her electoral battlefield to Rajasthan the very next year to contest from the Dholpur Assembly constituency, the native place of her husband, and was declared elected. Dilip Ray Mr. Dilip Ray, who is a former Central Minister, played. a crucial role in the formation of BJD and acted as the BJP's emissary to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Telugu Desam leader, Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu recently. An industrialist, Mr. Ray was elected to the Orissa Assembly twice in 1985 and 1990 and was the Minister for Industries in the Biju Patnaik Government. Som Pal Mr. Som Pal, former confidant of the veteran Janata Dal leader, Mr. V. P. Singh, has earned a ministerial berth for defeating the political heavyweight, the BKKP chief Mr. Ajit Singh in the Baghpat Lok Sabha constituency. Mr. Som Pal, economist, lawyer and agriculturist, all rolled into one, brings with him to office a rich administrative experience having been on panels for numerous committees and associations. Born on January 20, 1942 at Kakor Kalan village in Meerut district in Uttar Pradesh to Raghuvir Singh Shastri and Ganga Devi, Mr. Som Pal, went to a primary school in the same village. He attended the Hans Raj and the Kirori Mal Colleges here and later took a law degree from the Delhi University. He was married in 1964 and has one son and two daughters. K. R. Janarthanan Mr. Kadambur R. Janarthanan, a grassroots Dravidian movement activist, makes his ministerial debut at the Centre, having been in politics for more than three decades. First elected to the Lok Sabha in 1984, the 69 year old AIADMK veteran, returned to the ninth and 10th Lok Sabha in 1989 and 1991 but lost in the 1996 poll. Pitted against popular film star and DMK candidate, Mr Sarathkumar from Tirunelveli, Mr Janarthanan won by a narrow margin in the recent Lok Sabha elections. Imprisoned under MISA during the Emergency, Mr. Janarthanan is an agriculturist and trader by profession and a science graduate from Madras University. A man of literary leanings and a short story writer, Mr. Janarthanan was a member of various parliamentary committees.