Venkaiah Naidu
Muppavarapu Venkaiah Naidu (born 1 July 1947) is an Indian politician and the current Vice-President of India, in office since 11 August 2017. Previously, he served as the Minister of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, Urban Development and Information and Broadcasting in the Modi Cabinet.[1] A prominent leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party, he also served as its national president from 2002 to 2004.[2] Earlier, he was the Union Cabinet Minister for Rural Development in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.[3][4] He took the oath as Vice-President of India on 11 August 2017.
Early life
Venkaiah Naidu was born on 1 July 1947 at Unguturu, in the West Godavari District of the Indian State of Andhra Pradesh.[5] He completed his schooling from Zilla Parshad High School, Bucchireddy Palem (Nellore), and pursued his bachelor's degree in politics and diplomatic studies from V. R. College. Later, he acquired a bachelor's degree in law with specialisation in international law from Andhra University College of Law, Visakhapatnam.[6][7] He was a swayamsevak in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and joined ABVP during his college days. He was elected as the president of the students' union of colleges affiliated to the Andhra University. He came into the spotlight for his prominent role in the Jai Andhra Movement of 1972. While Kakani Venkata Ratnam led the movement from Vijayawada, Naidu took active part in the agitation in Nellore, until it was called off a year later.
In 1974, he became the convener of the anti-corruption Jayaprakash Narayan Chhatra Sangharsh Samiti of Andhra Pradesh. He took to the streets in protest against the emergency and was imprisoned. From 1977–80, he was president of its youth wing.
Political career
Both as a student leader and political figure, Naidu gained prominence as a brilliant orator, who vigorously championed the cause of the farmers and the development of backward areas. His oratory skills and political activism propelled his political career and he was elected as an MLA to the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly twice from Udaygiri constituency in Nellore district in 1978 and 1983. He rose to become one of the most popular leaders of the BJP in Andhra Pradesh.
After serving in various organisational posts of the BJP at the state and national level, he was elected as a member of the Rajya Sabha from Karnataka in 1998.[8] He was re-elected twice, in 2004 and 2010, from Karnataka.[9][10] He served as the party spokesperson from 1996 to 2000, bringing to the job his panache for quirky alliterations and similes. Unlike most politicians from southern India, Naidu made an effort to master Hindi, going on to address public rallies in northern India.
After the NDA victory in the 1999 general elections, he became the Union Cabinet Minister for Rural Development in the government headed by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.[11] He was known for aggressively pushing for reforms in rural development and for the many schemes introduced during this period such as the 'Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana.'[12][13][14]
He succeeded Jana Krishnamurthi as the National President of the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2003.[15] On 28 January 2004, he was elected unopposed for a full three-year term.[16] After the defeat of the BJP-led NDA in the 2004 general elections, he resigned from his post on 18 October 2004 and was succeeded by L. K. Advani.[17] However, he remained at the forefront of the BJP as one of its senior vice-presidents and an important campaigner. Naidu raised Special Status to Andhra Pradesh issue in Rajya Sabha (as opposition member in February 2014) and demanded special category state status to AP. The Prime Minister agreed to it, though it was not included in the AP Reorganisation Act-2
Following the victory of the BJP in the 2014 general elections, he was sworn in as the Minister for Urban Development and Parliamentary Affairs on 26 May 2014.
Naidu is also involved with the Swarna Bharat Trust, a social service organization founded by him in Nellore.[18] The trust runs a school for poor, orphaned and special-needs children and imparts self-employment training programs, especially for women and youth.
He was nominated by the BJP on 29 May 2016 for the Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan and was elected.
On 5 July 2016, he concurrently served as Minister of Information and Broadcasting. A year later, he resigned from both offices to contest the 2017 Vice-President election. He won the election to become India'15th Vice President.[19] He obtained 516 votes against UPA candidate Gopalkrishna Gandhi, who received 244 votes.
Positions held
- 1973–74: President, Students' Union, Andhra University
- 1974: Convener, Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Yuvajana Chatra Sangharsha Samithi, Andhra Pradesh
- 1977–80: President, Youth Wings of Janata Party, Andhra Pradesh
- 1978–85: Member, Legislative Assembly, Andhra Pradesh (2 terms)
- 1980–85: Leader, B.J.P Legislative Party in Andhra Pradesh
- 1985–88: General Secretary, Andhra Pradesh State BJP
- 1988–93: President, Andhra Pradesh State BJP
- 1993–September 2000: National General Secretary, Bharatiya Janata Party
- Secretary, BJP Parliamentary Board
- Secretary, BJP Central Election Committee
- Spokesperson of the BJP
- Since 1998: Member, Rajya Sabha from Karnataka (3 terms)
- 30 September 2000 – 1 July 2002: Minister of Rural Development
- 1 July 2002 – 5 October 2004: National President, Bharatiya Janata Party
- Since April 2005: National Vice-President, Bharatiya Janata Party.
- 2014–2017: Minister of Urban Development, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation and Parliamentary Affairs[20]
- 2016–2017: Minister of Information and Broadcasting
- 2017–present: Vice-President of India
References
- ^ "Venkaiah Naidu, BJP's south Indian face gets second stint in government". Indian Express. 25 June 2014. Archived from the original on 3 July 2014. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|dead-url=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "BJP PRESIDENTS". BJP. Archived from the original on 18 May 2014. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|dead-url=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 11 June 2016. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|dead-url=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Cabinet reshuffle: Portfolios of Modi's ministers". 5 July 2016. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
- ^ "Khammas of AP have money power, so they just go get it". timesofindia-economictimes.
- ^ "Biography". M.Venkaiah Naidu Personal website.
- ^ "Cabinet reshuffle: Modi government's got talent but is it being fully utilised?", The Economic Times, 10 July 2016, archived from the original on 15 July 2016, retrieved 13 July 2016
{{citation}}: Unknown parameter|dead-url=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Venkaiah Naidu files papers for Rajya Sabha". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 18 May 2014. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|dead-url=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Venkaiah Naidu among 10 elected to Rajya Sabha". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 4 March 2006. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|dead-url=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Rajya Sabha elections: Mallya, Venkaiah, Paswan, Rudy win". NDTV. Archived from the original on 18 May 2014. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|dead-url=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Party man Venkaiah Naidu makes debut in government". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|dead-url=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Dreams of a novice". India Today. Archived from the original on 18 May 2014. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|dead-url=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "PRADHAN MANTRI GRAM SADAK YOJANA : A BOON FOR RURAL INDIA". PIB news. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|dead-url=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Milking Naidu style". India Today. Archived from the original on 18 May 2014. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|dead-url=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Venkaiah Naidu takes over as new BJP chief". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 18 May 2014. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|dead-url=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Venkaiah Naidu elected BJP chief again". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 15 April 2005. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|dead-url=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Venkaiah Naidu quits; Advani is BJP chief". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 3 November 2013. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|dead-url=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Swarna Bharat Trust to Strive for Progress of Women, Rural Folk". Archived from the original on 17 June 2016. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|dead-url=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 5 August 2017. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|dead-url=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Timesofindia". 26 May 2014. Archived from the original on 28 May 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
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External links
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- 1947 births
- Bharatiya Janata Party politicians from Andhra Pradesh
- Members of the Cabinet of India
- Janata Party politicians
- Living people
- Ministers for Information and Broadcasting of India
- Narendra Modi ministry
- People from Nellore
- Presidents of Bharatiya Janata Party
- Rajya Sabha members from Karnataka
- Rajya Sabha members from Rajasthan
- Telugu people
- Vice-Presidents of India