Ghulam Nabi Azad

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Template:Short description Template:Use Indian English Template:Use dmy dates Script error: No such module "infobox".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".

Ghulam Nabi Azad (born 7 March 1949) is an Indian politician who served as Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha between 2014 and 2021. He also served as the Chief Minister of erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir from 2005 to 2008. On 26 September 2022, Azad announced his own political party as Democratic Progressive Azad Party. He is the chief patron cum founder of Democratic Progressive Azad Party.

Azad served as Minister of Health and Family Welfare.[1] He has served as the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs in the Manmohan Singh government until 27 October 2005, when he was appointed the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. On 26 August 2022, Azad resigned from Indian National Congress and mulled creating a new party at the national level.[2]

He also led the party successfully in the 2002 Assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir. He was bestowed with the Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian award, in 2022 by the Indian Government in the field of Public Affairs.[3]

Early life

Ghulam Nabi Azad was born in a village named Soti of Gandoh tehsil (Bhalessa) in the formerly princely state of Jammu and Kashmir's Doda district. His parents were Rahamatullah Batt and Basa Begum. He attended the local school in his village. Later for higher studies he moved to Jammu and received his Bachelor's of Science degree from G.G.M. Science College.[4][5][6] Furthermore, he also received a Master's in Zoology degree from the University of Kashmir, Srinagar in 1972.[7]

Political career

Azad started his career soon after working as the secretary for the Block Congress Committee in Bhalessa in 1973. Two years later, he was nominated as the President of the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Youth Congress. In 1980, he was appointed the President of the All-India Youth Congress.[7]

After being elected to the Seventh Lok Sabha from Maharashtra's Washim (Lok Sabha constituency) in 1980, Azad entered into the Central government as Deputy Minister in charge of Law, Justice and Company Affairs Ministry in 1982.

Subsequently, he was elected to the Eighth Lok Sabha in 1984 and was a member (1990 - 1996) from Maharashtra in Rajya Sabha.[8] During Rao's government, Azad took charge of Parliamentary Affairs and Civil Aviation ministries. He was subsequently elected to Rajya Sabha from Jammu and Kashmir during the term of 30 November 1996 to 29 November 2002 and 30 November 2002 to 29 November 2008, but resigned on 29 April 2006 as he became Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir on 2 November 2005.[8]

The People's Democratic Party, a coalition partner of the Indian National Congress in Jammu and Kashmir, withdrew its support for Azad's government, and rather than attempt to sustain his government by requesting a vote of confidence, Azad resigned on 7 July 2008, and later left office on 11 July 2008.[9]

Union government

File:Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad assumes charge of the Union Minister for Urban Development in New Delhi on May 25, 2004 (Tuesday.jpg
Ghulam Nabi Azad assumes charge as the Union Minister for Urban Development in New Delhi on 25 May 2004

In the second United Progressive Alliance Government, led by Manmohan Singh, Azad was sworn in as the Health Minister of India. He was elected to Rajya Sabha for the fourth and fifth terms from Jammu and Kashmir during the term of 30 November 1996 to 29 November 2002.[8] He vowed to expand the National Rural Health Mission, which has mobilized half a million health workers, all across India, and later his ministry also launched a National Urban Health Mission, to serve the slum dwelling urban poor.[10][11]

He has suggested a late marriage age of between 25 and 30 for population control, and has said that lack of electricity & thereby absence of TV entertainment in rural areas will cause people to produce more children.[12]

Leader of Opposition

In June 2014, after the National Democratic Alliance won a majority in the Lok Sabha and formed the Union government, Azad was appointed the leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha, where Congress still held the majority.[13]

In 2015, Azad got re-elected to the Rajya Sabha from Jammu and Kashmir, despite the PDP-BJP alliance holding a majority of seats in the Legislative Assembly.[14]

File:The President, Shri Ram Nath Kovind presenting the Outstanding Parliamentarian Award for the year 2015 to Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad, at a function, at Parliament House, in New Delhi.JPG
Ram Nath Kovind, President of India presenting the Outstanding Parliamentarian Award for 2015 to Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad, at a function, at Parliament House, New Delhi on August 1, 2018.

Resignation from INC

In August 2022, Azad resigned from the post of chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Congress campaign committee hours after his appointment. Sonia Gandhi accepted the resignation from Azad. On 26 August 2022, he resigned from all positions including primary membership of the party.[15][16][17] In his resignation letter, he cited destruction of consultative process by Rahul Gandhi as a reason.[18]

Democratic Progressive Azad Party

On 4 September 2022, Azad announced the formation of a new political party after resigning from Congress. He said the people of Jammu and Kashmir will decide the name and the flag for the new party.[19]

On 26 September 2022, Azad announced the name of his new party as Democratic Progressive Azad Party. The flag of the Democratic Azad Party has three colours: mustard, white, and blue.[20]

Personal life

Azad married Shameema Dev Azad, a well known Kashmiri singer, in 1980, and they have a son Saddam Nabi Azad and a daughter Sofiya Nabi Azad.[21][22][23][24]

Positions held

Year Description
1980 - 1984 Elected to 7th Lok Sabha
  • Deputy Minister - Law, Justice and Company Affairs (1982-82)
  • Deputy Minister - Information and Broadcasting (1983–84)
1984 - 1989 Elected to 8th Lok Sabha
  • Minister of State - Parliamentary Affairs (Dec 1984 - May 1986)
  • Minister of State - Home Affairs (May 1986 - Oct 1986)
  • Minister of State - Food and Civil Supplies (Oct 1986 - Sept 1987)
1991 - 1996 Elected to Rajya Sabha From Maharashtra
  • Union Minister - Parliamentary Affairs (June 1991 - Dec 1992)
  • Union Minister - Parliamentary Affairs (Jan 1993 - May 1996)
  • Union Minister - Civil Aviation and Tourism (Jan 1993 - May 1996)
1996 - 2002 Elected to Rajya Sabha From Jammu and Kashmir
2002 - 2006 Elected to Rajya Sabha From Jammu and Kashmir
  • Union Minister - Parliamentary Affairs (May 2004 - Oct 2005)
  • Union Minister - Urban Development (May 2004 - Oct 2005)

Awards

Further reading

References

Template:Reflist

External links

Template:Sister project

Template:S-endTemplate:Padma Bhushan Award Recipients 2020–2029Template:Chief Minister of Jammu and KashmirTemplate:Cabinet of Manmohan SinghTemplate:Ministry of Civil Aviation (India)Template:Authority control
Political offices
Preceded byTemplate:S-bef/check Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir
2005 – 2008 Template:S-ttl/check 		Template:S-aft/check Succeeded by
Preceded byTemplate:S-bef/check Minister of Health and Family Welfare
2009 – 2014 Template:S-ttl/check 		Template:S-aft/check Succeeded by
Preceded byTemplate:S-bef/check Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha
2014 – 2021 Template:S-ttl/check 		Template:S-aft/check Succeeded by
  1. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  2. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  3. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  4. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  5. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  6. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  7. ↑ a b Ghulam Nabi Azad Biography, Elections.in. Retrieved 25 April 2017.
  8. ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  9. ↑ "Kashmir chief's surprise resignation", CNN, 7 July 2008.
  10. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  12. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  13. ↑ Ghulam Nabi Azad Made Leader of Congress in Rajya Sabha, Set to Become Leader of Opposition, NDTV News, 8 June 2014.
  14. ↑ Kashmir surprise: Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad reelected to Rajya Sabha, The Indian Express, 8 February 2015.
  15. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  16. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  17. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  18. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  19. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  20. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  21. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  22. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  23. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  24. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  25. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
Retrieved from "http://debianws.lexgopc.com/wiki143/index.php?title=Ghulam_Nabi_Azad&oldid=564822"