Smt. Menaka Gandhi
| Maneka Gandhi | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Minister of Women and Child Development | |
|
Assumed office 26 May 2014 |
|
| Prime Minister | Narendra Modi |
| Preceded by | Krishna Tirath |
| Member of Parliament | |
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Assumed office 16 May 2014 |
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| Preceded by | Varun Gandhi |
| Constituency | Pilibhit |
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In office 2009–2014 |
|
| Preceded by | Sarvraj Singh |
| Succeeded by | Dharmendra Kashyap |
| Constituency | Aonla |
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In office 1996–2009 |
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| Preceded by | Parshuram Gangwar |
| Succeeded by | Varun Gandhi |
| Constituency | Pilibhit |
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In office 1989–1991 |
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| Preceded by | Bhanu Pratap Singh |
| Succeeded by | Parshuram Gangwar |
| Constituency | Pilibhit |
| Minister of State for Programme Implementation and Statistics (Independent Charge) | |
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In office 18 November 2001 – 30 June 2002 |
|
| Prime Minister | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
| Minister of State for Culture (Independent Charge) | |
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In office 1 September 2001 – 18 November 2001 |
|
| Prime Minister | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
| Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment | |
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In office 13 October 1999 – 1 September 2001 |
|
| Prime Minister | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Maneka Anand 26 August 1956 New Delhi, India |
| Political party | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| Other political affiliations |
Janata Dal |
| Spouse(s) | Sanjay Gandhi (m. 1974; d. 1980) |
| Relations | See Nehru–Gandhi family |
| Children | Varun Gandhi |
| Alma mater |
University of Delhi Jawaharlal Nehru University |
| Occupation | Politician, animal-rights activist |
| As of 27 May, 2014 Source: Government of India |
|
Maneka Sanjay Gandhi (née Anand; born 26 August 1956, Delhi, India) is the Indian Union Cabinet Minister for Women & Child Development in the Government of PM Narendra Modi. She is also an animal rights activist, environmentalist, and widow of the Indian politician Sanjay Gandhi. She has been a minister in four governments, and has authored a number of books in the areas of etymology, law and animal welfare. Maneka Gandhi is a member of the Nehru-Gandhi Family.
Maneka was born in Delhi into a Sikh family. Her father was Indian Army officer Lt. Col. Tarlochan Singh Anand and her mother was Amteshwar Anand. She went to Lawrence School and later Lady Shri Ram College for Women. She subsequently studied German at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.
Maneka first met Sanjay Gandhi at a cocktail party thrown by Maneka's uncle Major-General Kapur to celebrate the forthcoming marriage of his son Veenu Kapur in 1973. Maneka eventually married Sanjay, the son of the Prime Minister Indira Gandhi one year later on 23 September 1974.
The Emergency saw the rise of Sanjay into politics and Maneka was seen with him almost every time on his tours as she helped him in campaigns. It is often said that during the Emergency, Sanjay Gandhi had total control over his mother and that the government was run by the PMH (Prime Minister House) rather than the PMO (Prime Minister Office).
Maneka Gandhi founded the news magazine Surya which later played a key role in promotion of the Congress party after its defeat in the 1977 election following the Emergency.
She went to court to fight an attempt by the government in power at the time to confiscate her passport and won a landmark decision on personal liberty. In the case of Maneka Gandhi v Union of India, the court found that "Democracy is based essentially on free debate and open discussion, for that is the only corrective of government action in a democratic setup."
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