Profiles of new Ministers in Modi's Cabinet

FAGGAN SINGH KULASTE , 56, MP from Mandla, Madhya Pradesh, is among BJP’s tribal faces in the Cabinet and heads Parliament's Committee on the Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Kulaste made news in 2008 as a co-accused in the ‘cash for vote’ scandal in the House during a no-confidence vote against UPA-I on the Indo-US nuclear deal, was in jail for two months, and was later acquitted by a Delhi court. An MA, B.Ed and L.LB from Madhya Pradesh, he became an MLA in 1990, and was also Minister for Tribal Affairs in the AB Vajpayee Cabinet. He is General Secretary of BJP’s Scheduled Tribe Cell.

RAMESH C JIGAJINAGI, 64, BJP MP from Bijapur, is a Dalit leader from rural Karnataka, as also among the State’s leading wine makers. A post-graduate, Jigajinagi began his political innings with the Janata Dal and broke away from the party along with his mentor, Ramakrishna Hegde, to join the Rashtreeye Nava Nirmana Vedike and later Lok Shakti. After Hedge’s death in 2004, he joined BJP. A member of the Karnataka Assembly since 1986 and also a former State Cabinet Minister, he entered the 12th Lok Sabha in 1998. In 2002, Jigajinagi established his own winery, Hampi Heritage Vineyards on a 40 ha site, from where its Kinvah wines are marketed by Bangalore-based Nandi Valley Winery.

S S AHLUWALIA, 65, an MP from Darjeeling, West Bengal, is a Sikh who speaks fluent Bangla. The Asansol-born veteran is a graduate in science and law from West Bengal. Considered an ‘old guard’ in BJP, Ahluwalia was earlier with the Congress, was part of Rajiv Gandhi’s “shouting brigade” and was brought by him to Rajya Sabha in 1986. Later, he was a Minister in the Narasimha Rao Cabinet. He quit Congress in the late 1990s and joined BJP and is now party vice-president. Active in various Parliamentary panels, Ahluwalia also heads the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the controversial land acquisition Bill, which is yet to submit its report.

RAMDAS ATHAWALE, 57, a prominent Dalit leader from Maharashtra, belongs to a faction of the Republican Party of India. Athawale was a Dalit Panther activist and in the mid-1908s joined the Sharad Pawar government in the State in alliance with Congress-NCP. He snapped his ties with the alliance in 2011 and during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls joined the NDA bandwagon. An under-graduate, Athawale, a three-time Lok Sabha member, is a trade unionist and is also known for his humorous speeches. He has also acted in a Marathi film and play.

SUBHASH BHAMRE, 63, MP from Dhule, Maharashtra, is from the Maratha community. A qualified cancer surgeon, Bhamre did his specialisation from Grant Medical College, Mumbai, followed by super-specialisation in J.J. Hospital Mumbai and Tata Cancer Hospital, Mumbai. A first-time MP, Bhamre’s induction is being seen as a move to quell simmering anger among BJP’s rank and file in the Jalgaon-Dhule belt following Eknath Khadse’s exit from the Devendra Fadnavis Cabinet.

ANIL MADHAV DAVE, 60, Rajya Sabha MP from Madhya Pradesh, is an RSS ‘pracharak’ and is known for his involvement in the conservation of river Narmada. Recently, he played a key role in organising the World Hindi Conference and the International Ideological Mahakumbh. Active in politics since his student days, Dave is in the national executive of BJP. He completed his Master’s in Commerce from the State and has also published various non-fiction books in Hindi and English.

M J AKBAR , 65, Rajya Sabha MP from Madhya Pradesh, is a well-known journalist who was once very close to Congress leader Rajiv Gandhi. An alumni of Kolkata’s prestigious Presidency College, Akbar was the editor of The Telegraph, The Asian Age and The Sunday Guardian and has also written several non-fiction books. He was elected from Kishanganj in Bihar on a Congress ticket in 1989, but after Rajiv Gandhi's assassination in 1991, drifted away from the party (read Sonia). He joined the BJP ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and became one of its national spokespersons.

PARSHOTTAM RUPALA , 64, Rajya Sabha MP from Gujarat is a prominent Patel leader. One of the vice-presidents of BJP, Rupala’s induction is being seen as a balm on the rich Patel caste which is agitating and are rallying behind Hardik Patel, 22, demanding job reservations. Rupala, who was a Cabinet minister in Gujarat under Keshubhai Patel and Narendra Modi, was also Chairman of Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation from June 1998 to October 2001.

JASVANTSINH BHABHOR , 48, is yet another tribal face in the Modi Cabinet. An MP from water-starved Dahod in Gujarat, Bhabhor became an MLA at the age of 29 in 1995 and was part of Narendra Modi’s cabinet when he was Gujarat Chief Minister, handling tribal affairs and environment. A five-time MLA, Bhabhor was also Chairman of the Gujarat State Tribal Development Corporation in 1998-1999. A graduate in education, he was elected as an MP for the first time in 2014.

MANSUKHBHAI MANDAVIA, 44, Rajya Sabha MP from Gujarat, is also from the Patel community. A former ABVP leader, he was elected to the Gujarat Assembly in 2002. Educated at Songadh Gurukul and Gujarat Agricultural University, he was member, Gujarat Assembly from 2011-2012 and also Chairman, Gujarat Agro Industries Corporation Ltd up to April 2012. Elected to Rajya Sabha in 2012, Mandavia is Member, Committee on Petroleum and Natural Gas. His induction is also being seen as an effort to placate the agitating rich Patel community ahead of the Gujarat polls next year.

ARJUN RAM MEGHWAL , 65, a Lok Sabha MP from Bikaner, Rajasthan, was first elected in 2009. After post-graduation and LL.B from Rajasthan, he did MBA from the Philippines University. A retired civil servant of the Rajasthan cadre, Meghwal was awarded the ‘Best Parliamentarian’ award in 2013 and is currently BJP’s chief whip in Lok Sabha. Known for his colourful turbans, Meghwal is an eye-catcher as he cycles to Parliament House whenever it is in session.

CHHOTU RAM CHAUDHARY , 68, is a first-time MP from Nagaur, Rajasthan. A post-graduate in geography from Rajasthan University, Chaudhary began his career as a lecturer in Barmer and Ajmer and later joined the Rajasthan Administrative Services. He also served as Chairman, Rajasthan Public Service Commission and Director, Rajasthan State Transport Corporation (2000 – 2001).

P P CHAUDHARY, 63, MP from Pali, Rajasthan, belongs to the OBC Seervi caste (Kshatriya) and has been with the RSS since the age of 8 years. With a Bachelor’s in science and a law degree from Jai Narayan Vyas University, Jodhpur, Chaudhary rose to be an advocate in the Supreme Court. Apart from being a member of several Parliamentary committees, he also heads the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Offices of Profit.

MAHENDRA NATH PANDEY, 59, an MP from Chandauli, is BJP’s prominent Brahmin face in Uttar Pradesh, where Assembly elections are due next year. A doctorate from Banaras Hindu University, Pandey also has a Masters in journalism. A two-term BJP MLA and a first term MP, Pandey was Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development in 1997 and MoS Planning (Independent) between 1998 and 2000, and MoS Panchayati Raj in UP between 2000 and 2002. Pandey is a member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development.

KRISHNA RAJ, 49, a first-time MP from Shahjahanpur from Uttar Pradesh, is BJP’s woman Dalit face from the Rohilkhand region. A post-graduate from Awadh University and two-term MLA from Mohammadi Assembly constituency, Raj is known for actively participating in debates in the Lok Sabha and is Member, Committee on Petitions and Energy as well as of the Joint Parliament committee on land acquisition Bill.

ANUPRIYA PATEL, 35, MP from Mirzapur, UP, belongs to the OBC Kurmi community. She was expelled by her mother from Apna Dal, a BJP ally, for anti-party activities and is expected to merge her faction with BJP ahead of the UP polls next year. An articulate speaker, the alumni from Delhi’s prestigious Lady Shriram College, who also has a Masters in Psychology and Business Administration, is the daughter of late Sone Lal Patel, a prominent leader of the Kurmi community, which holds sizeable clout in the State’s Eastern region.

RAJEN GOHAIN, 66, is an MP from Nowgong, Assam. A tea estate owner, Gohain was active in the Assam movement against illegal immigrants in the 1980s, joined BJP in 1991, and is a four-time Lok Sabha MP. He is also associated with rubber, pisciculture and dairy farming. The low-profile Gohain belongs to the Ahom community, considered a traditional Congress support base. He completed his BA, LL.B from Gauhati University and is being seen as a replacement for Sarbanad Sonowal, who is now Assam Chief Minister.

VIJAY GOEL , 62, Rajya Sabha MP from Rajasthan, is former president of Delhi BJP, and shares his alma mater, Sriram College of Commerce, with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. An active RSS and ABVP worker, Goel was jailed during the Emergency and was elected president of Delhi University Students Union in 1977-78. He has done MCom and L.LB from Delhi University. Goel was MoS for Labour, Parliamentary Affairs, Statistics & Programme Implementation and Youth Affairs & Sports in the AB Vajpayee Cabinet till 2004, and has made a comeback after being side-lined during the Delhi Assembly elections in 2015, which were swept by the Aam Aadmi Party.

AJAY TAMTA, 44, a Dalit leaders and first-time MP from Almora, Uttarakhand, has been inducted ahead of the Assembly elections due next year in the hill State. Uttarakhand currently has a Congress government, headed by Harish Rawat. Tamta, who has been a Minister in the State government ruled by BJP in 2007-09, rose to politics from being a grassroots panchayat functionary.