Coordinates: 28°37′3″N 77°12′30″E / 28.6175°N 77.20833°E / 28.6175; 77.20833

House of the People लोक सभा Lōk Sabhā
15th Lok Sabha
Type
Type	Lower house of Parliament of India
Leadership
Speaker	Meira Kumar, (INC) since 3 June 2009[1]
Deputy Speaker	Kariya Munda, (BJP) since 8 June 2009[2]
Leader of the House	Pranab Mukherjee, (INC) since 26 May 2009[3]
Leader of Opposition (Lok Sabha)	Sushma Swaraj, (BJP) since 21 December 2009[4]
Members	545 (543 elected + 2 appointed)[5]
Political groups	UPA NDA TF FF Others
Elections
Voting system	First past the post
Last election	April–May, 2009
Motto
धर्मचक्रपरिवर्तनाय॥ - To rotate the wheel of dharma.
Meeting place
Chamber of Lok Sabha, Sansad Bhavan, Sansad Marg, New Delhi
Website
loksabha.gov.in

The Lok Sabha (Hindi: लोक सभा) or House of the People is the lower house of the Parliament of India. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by direct election under universal adult suffrage. As of 2009, there have been fifteen Lok Sabhas elected by the people of India. The Constitution limits the Lok Sabha to a maximum of 552 members, including no more than 20 members representing people from the Union Territories, and two appointed non-partisan members to represent the Anglo-Indian community (if the President feels that that community is not adequately represented).

Each Lok Sabha is formed for a five-year term, after which it is automatically dissolved, unless extended by a proclamation of emergency. In such cases, the term may be extended by one-year increments. The 15th Lok Sabha was formed in May 2009.

An exercise to redraw Lok Sabha constituencies' boundaries has been carried out by the Delimitation Commission based on the Indian census of 2001. This exercise, which was supposed to be carried out after every census, was suspended in 1976 following a constitutional amendment to avoid adverse effects of the family planning program which was being implemented.^[6] Today, the Lok Sabha has its own TV channel, Lok Sabha TV, head-quartered within the premises of Parliament.

Membership qualifications[link]

Membership of the Lok Sabha requires that the person be a citizen of India, aged 25 or over, mentally sound, should not be bankrupt and if the person is facing criminal proceedings in courts, the person has to mention it when they file their affidavit to the election commission. However, the person must not have been criminally convicted. For reserved seats, one should be member of the appropriate castes and/or tribes. He must not be holding an office of profit under the Govt. of India. He must not also be disqualified under any other Laws passed by the Parliament.

Election model code of conduct for nomination and scrutiny of candidates[link]

The Model Code of Conduct set by Election Commission of India gives guidance to political parties and candidates, and sets norms that bind them to respect and observe these guidelines in letter and spirit.^[7] The Election Commission of India is also implementing Supreme Court’s order dated 13 March 2003 relating to right to information of electors regarding criminal antecedents, assets and liabilities and educational qualifications of candidates. This makes it mandatory for candidates to disclosure of information about their assets and liabilities together with those of spouse or dependent children, through filing the nomination forms.^[8] The Election Commission of India is responsible for publishing this information.^[9]

Sessions and working hours[link]

First hour of every sitting is called the Question Hour, during which questions posed by members may be assigned to specific government ministries, to be answered at a fixed date in the future.

The Lok Sabha shares legislative power with the Rajya Sabha, except in the area of money bills, in which case the Lok Sabha has the ultimate authority. In the case of money bills, it is only sent to the Rajya Sabha for recommendations. In the case of other bills, the bill is sent for a period of 14 working days, and if it is not returned within that span of time, it is considered as passed. If conflicting legislation is enacted by the two Houses, a joint sitting is held to resolve the differences. In such a session, the members of the Lok Sabha would generally prevail, since the Lok Sabha includes more than twice as many members as the Rajya Sabha.

Three sessions of Lok Sabha take place in a year:

• Budget session: February to May.
• Monsoon session: July to September.
• Winter session: November to December.

Powers[link]

The Lok Sabha has certain powers that make it more powerful than the Rajya Sabha.

• Motions of no confidence against the government can only be introduced and passed in the Lok Sabha. If passed by a majority vote, the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers resigns collectively. The Rajya Sabha has no power over such a motion, and hence no real power over the executive. However, the Prime Minister may threaten the dissolution of the Lok Sabha and recommend this to the President, forcing an untimely general election. The President normally accepts this recommendation unless otherwise convinced that the Lok Sabha might recommend a new Prime Minister by a majority vote. Thus, both the executive and the legislature in India have checks and balances over each other.
• Money bills can only be introduced in the Lok Sabha, and upon being passed, are sent to the Rajya Sabha, where it can be deliberated on for up to 14 days. If not rejected by the Rajya Sabha, or 14 days lapse from the introduction of the bill in the Rajya Sabha without any action by the House, or recommendations made by the Rajya Sabha are not accepted by the Lok Sabha, the bill is considered passed. The budget is presented in the Lok Sabha by the Finance Minister in the name of the President of India.
• In matters pertaining to non-financial (ordinary) bills, after the bill has been passed by the House where it was originally tabled (Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha), it is sent to the other house, where it may be kept for a maximum period of 6 months. If the other House rejects the bill or a period of 6 months elapses without any action by that House, or the House that originally tabled the bill does not accept the recommendations made by the members of the other house, it results in a deadlock. This is resolved by a joint session of both Houses, presided over by the speaker of the Lok Sabha and decided by a simple majority. The will of the Lok Sabha normally prevails in these matters, as its strength is more than double that of the Rajya Sabha.
• Equal Powers with the Rajya Sabha in initiating and passing any Bill for Constitutional Amendment (by a majority of the total membership of the House and at least two-thirds majority of the members present and voting).
• Equal Powers with the Rajya Sabha in initiating and passing a motion for the impeachment of the President (by two-thirds of the membership of the House).
• Equal Powers with the Rajya Sabha in initiating and passing a motion for the impeachment of the judges of the Supreme Court and the state High Courts (by a majority of the membership of the House and at least two-thirds majority of the members present and voting).
• Equal Powers with the Rajya Sabha in initiating and passing a resolution declaring war or national emergency (by two-thirds majority) or constitutional emergency (by simple majority) in a state.
• If the Lok Sabha is dissolved before or after the declaration of a National Emergency, the Rajya Sabha becomes the sole Parliament. It cannot be dissolved. This is a limitation on the Lok Sabha. But there is a possibility that president can exceed the term to not more than 1 year under the proclamation of emergency and the same would be lowered down to six month if the said proclamation ceases to operate.

Rights of nominated members[link]

Nominated members have almost all the same rights as elected members, including the right to join political parties and to participate in parliamentary debates. They also have the right to cast their vote during confidence votes and other money bills. The only exception is that nominated members are not allowed to vote during presidential elections.

Composition by states and territories[link]

Lok Sabha and general election[link]

Lok Sabha is constituted after the general election as follows:

Number of members party wise in Lok Sabha[link]

• Total Members (Excluding H. S.) - 542
• Vacant Constituencies - 2

1 Banka (Bihar )
2 Nellore (Andhra Pradesh )

• Nominated Member - 2

Present members of Lok Sabha by political party and alliance up to 10 January 2012:^{[11][12][13][14]}

See also[link]

• Rajya Sabha
• Lawmaking procedure in India
• Politics of India
• List of Indian constituencies
• Indian general elections 1951–1971
• Indian general elections 1977–1999
• Indian general elections 2004
• Indian general elections 2009
• List of members of the 15th Lok Sabha of India
• List of members of the 15th Lok Sabha (by state)
• PRS Legislative Research

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Lok Sabha

• All Lok Sabha Members – Current and Previous
• Description of Lok Sabha on website of Parliament of India
• Lok Sabha website

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L.K. Advani
Deputy Prime Minister of India
In office 5 February 2000 – 22 May 2004
Preceded by	Chaudhary Devi Lal
Succeeded by	Vacant
Minister of Home Affairs
In office 19 March 1998 – 22 May 2004
Prime Minister	Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Preceded by	Indrajit Gupta
Succeeded by	Shivraj Patil
Leader of Opposition (Lok Sabha)
In office May 2004 – December 2009
Preceded by	Sonia Gandhi
Succeeded by	Sushma Swaraj
In office 1989–1993
Minister of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions
In office 29 January 2003 – 21 May 2004
Prime Minister	Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Minister of Coal and Mines
In office 1 July 2002 – 25 August 2002
Prime Minister	Atal Bihari Vajpayee
President of Bharatiya Janata Party
In office 1986–1991
In office 1993–1998
In office 2004–2006
Leader of Opposition (Rajya Sabha)
In office January 1980 – April 1980
Personal details
Born	(1927-11-08) 8 November 1927 (age 84) Karachi, (Sindh) British India (now Pakistan)
Political party	Bharatiya Janata Party (1980–present)
Other political affiliations	Bharatiya Jana Sangh (Before 1977) Janata Party (1977–1980)
Spouse(s)	Kamla Advani
Children	Pratibha (Daughter) Jayant (Son)
Alma mater	Saint Patrick's High School, Karachi Sindh D. G. National College, Hyderabad, Sindh Government Law College, Bombay University.
Profession	Lawyer
Religion	Hindu
Signature	L. K. Advani's signature
Website	Official website

Lal Krishna Advani (Sindhi: लाल किशनचंद आडवाणी (Devanagari) [laˑl kiɕəntɕən̪d̪ aˑᶑʋaˑɳiˑ]; born on 8 November 1927, at Karachi) known as L.K Advani is a Veteran Indian politician. A former president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is currently the major opposition party in the Indian Parliament. He also served as a Deputy Prime Minister of India from 2002 to 2004. He was the Leader of the Opposition in the 10th Lok Sabha and 14th Lok Sabha (Lower House of the Indian Parliament).^[1] Advani began his political career as a volunteer of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

Early life and education[link]

L.K Advani was born at Karachi, in Sindh of British India to Kishanchand D Advani and Gyani Devi. He completed his early schooling from Saint Patrick's High School, Karachi, then he joined the D G National College in Hyderabad, Sindh for his college education. He then graduated in Law from Government Law College, Bombay University.^[2]

Political career[link]

Early career[link]

L.K Advani's life as a politician started in 1947 when he was elected as the Secretary, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Karachi. In 1947, Advani was sent to Mewar in Rajasthan, which had witnessed communal violence following partition, to oversee the affairs of the RSS there.

Jana Sangh to Janata Party[link]

Advani became a member of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, which was founded in 1951 by Shyama Prasad Mukherjee. After serving various positions in the Jana Sangh, he became its President in 1975. When Jai Prakash Narayan, who led the public movement against the Emergency refused to campaign for the opposition parties unless all of them joined together, the Jana Sangh and many other opposition parties merged into the Janata Party. With the dissolution of Jana Sangh, Advani and his colleague Atal Bihari Vajpayee joined the Janata Party to fight the Lok Sabha Elections of 1977.

Janata Party to Bharatiya Janata Party[link]

The Janata Party was formed by political leaders and activists of various political parties who had been united in opposing the state of Emergency imposed in 1975 by then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. After elections were called in 1977, the Janata Party was formed from the union of the Congress (O), Swatantra Party, Socialist Party of India, Bharatiya Jana Sangh and the Lok Dal. Indian National Congress defector Jagjivan Ram formed the Congress for Democracy and joined the Janata alliance. The widespread unpopularity of Emergency rule gave Janata Party and its allied a landslide victory in the election. Morarji Desai became the Prime Minister of India, Advani became the Minister of Information and Broadcasting and his close friend and Jana Sangh senior colleague Atal Bihari Vajpayee became the External Affairs Minister.

The nature of the birth of the Janata Party sowed the seeds of its destruction as well. Bitter animosity amongst its ranks ensured that the government remained on the brink. Finally, the issue of dual membership became the bone of contention as some members of the Janata Party insisted that the erstwhile members of the Jana Sangh dissociate themselves from the right-wing Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

The erstwhile members of the Jana Sangh, came out of the Janata Party and they formed the new Bharatiya Janata Party. Advani became a prominent leader of the newly founded BJP and represented the party in the Rajya Sabha (Upper House of the Indian Parliament).^[2]

The rise of the BJP[link]

Advani became the president of the BJP in 1986. His rise coincided with a growing unease and disquiet with the ruling Congress Party, among the Hindus due the increasing fundamentalism among the minority Muslims. Sensing an opportunity Advani embarked on a new aggressive phase of his politics and by 1991, he had taken a party to new heights.

He gradually brought in a shift in the party's policies by advocating Hindutva. Meanwhile, the finance minister V. P. Singh also defected. In the elections of 1989, the combined might of the VP Singh led Janata Dal and the BJP managed to eat into the Congress's seats. Despite emerging as the single largest party, the Congress opted to sit in Opposition, and a coalition headed by V P Singh as Prime Minister formed the government. The BJP supported this government from the outside.

Lal Krishna Advani with Condoleezza Rice

In 1989, the BJP launched a movement led by Advani on the issue of the Ram Janmabhoomi (the birth place of Rama). The BJP demanded that a temple dedicated to deity Rama be created at the site of the Babri Masjid where, according to Archaeological Survey of India (ASI),^[3][4] a temple stood till Babur's invasion of India in 1528. Sunni Central Wakf Board rejected this claim. However, rather than a settling on a political solution to the dispute, the disputed structure was destroyed by a Hindu mob, sparking massive Hindu-Muslim riots.

Advani embarked on a "Rath Yatra" to mobilize "karsevaks" to converge upon the Babri Masjid to offer prayers. This "Rath Yatra", undertaken in an air-conditioned van decorated to look like a chariot, started from Somnath in Gujarat and had covered a large part of Northern India until it was brought to a halt by the Chief Minister of Bihar, Laloo Prasad Yadav.

This movement helped the BJP cross fresh boundaries, especially in North India. Advani succeeded in drawing away a large chunk of Hindu voters who were already mortified at the rise of Mandal politics, away from the Congress^{[citation needed]}. In the 1991 general elections, the BJP came second after the Congress party in terms of seats.

In 1992, two years after Advani ended his yatra, despite assurances given by the Kalyan Singh led BJP Government to the Supreme Court, the Babri Masjid was demolished by the "karsevaks" with alleged complicity of the Kalyan Singh government.^[5][6] Advani is one of the main accused in the Babri Masjid case.^[7]

BJP, under Advani, sat in the opposition from 1991-1996 during the reign of P V Narasimha Rao. The Rao regime was repeatedly accused by the BJP of corruption and various scandals.

NDA Government formation[link]

After the 1996 general elections, the BJP became the single largest party and was consequently invited by the President to form the Government. Atal Bihari Vajpayee was sworn in as Prime Minister in May 1996. However, the Government did not last long and Vajpayee resigned after thirteen days.

After two years in the political wilderness, the BJP under the umbrella of the National Democratic Alliance (a BJP-led coalition), again came to power with Vajpayee as PM in March 1998, when elections were called after India saw two unstable Governments headed by H D Deve Gowda and I K Gujral respectively. Advani assumed the office of Home Minister and was later elevated to the position of Deputy Prime Minister. As Union Minister, Advani had a tough time with India facing a string of internal disturbances in the form of terror attacks from neighbouring Pakistan . The BJP-led NDA Government lasted for its full term of five years till 2004, with Vajpayee as the Prime Minister. The NDA was the only non-Congress Government to last for five years.

L.K. Advani with Dmitry Medvedev of Russia.

Advani was charged in a Hawala scandal where he allegedly received payments through hawalabrokers. He and others were later discharged by the Supreme Court of India, because there was no additional evidence which could be used to charge them.^[8] According to the judicial inquiry by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) they could not find any substantive evidences; the Supreme Court ruling stated that no statement even mentioned Advani's name and that evidence against him was limited to the mention of his name on a few loose sheets of paper.^[8]

However, the failure of this prosecution by the CBI was widely criticized.^[9] While some believe the CBI probe catapulted his rise through the BJP on his newfound "moral authority",^[10] others have claimed the inquiry was a political stunt.^[11][12]

As elections approached in 2004, Advani was supremely confident and conducted an aggressive campaign where he claimed the Congress Party would not get even 100 seats. The BJP suffered a defeat in the general elections held in 2004, and was forced to sit in the opposition. Another coalition, the United Progressive Alliance led by the resurgent Congress came to power, with Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister. The NDA disintegrated with the Telugu Desam Party, which had supported the NDA government from the outside, deserting the alliance.

Vajpayee retired from active politics after the 2004 defeat, putting Advani to the forefront of the BJP. Advani became Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha from 2004 to 2009. During this period, Advani had to deal with rebellion from within the party. His two close associates, Uma Bharati, and Madan Lal Khurana, and longtime rival Murali Manohar Joshi publicly spoke out against him. In June 2005, he drew much criticism when he, while on a visit to the Jinnah Mausoleum at Karachi - his town of birth, endorsed Mohammad Ali Jinnah and described him a "secular" leader. This did not sit well with the RSS either and Advani was forced to relinquish his post as BJP president. However, he withdrew the resignation a few days later.

The relationship between Advani and the RSS reached a low point when K S Sudarshan, opined that both Advani and Vajpayee give way to new leaders.^[13] At the Silver Jubilee celebrations of the BJP in Mumbai in December 2005, Advani stepped down as party president and Rajnath Singh, a relatively junior politician from the state of Uttar Pradesh was elected in his place. In March 2006, following a bomb blast at one of the holiest Hindu shrines at Varanasi, Advani undertook a "Bharat Suraksha Yatra" (Sojourn for National Security), to highlight the alleged failure of the ruling United Progressive Alliance (a Congress led coalition) in combating terrorism.

Prime Minister candidacy[link]

Advani discussing "black money" at one of many rallies during the 2009 campaign.

In an interview with a news channel in December 2006, L.K. Advani stated that as the Leader of the Opposition in a parliamentary democracy, he considered himself as the Prime Ministerial candidate for the general elections, ending on 16 May 2009.^[14] Some of his colleagues were not supportive of his candidacy.^[15]

A major factor going in favor of Advani was that he had always been the most powerful leader in the BJP with the exception of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who endorsed Advani's candidacy shortly after the interview was done. On 2 May 2007, BJP President Rajnath Singh, in an interview, stated that: "After Atal there is only Advani. Advani is the natural choice. It is he who should be PM".^[16] On 10 December 2007, the Parliamentary Board of BJP formally announced that L. K. Advani would be its prime ministerial candidate for the General Elections due in 2009.

However, Indian National Congress party and its allies won the 2009 General Elections, allowing incumbent Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to continue in office. Following the defeat in the elections, L. K. Advani paved way for Sushma Swaraj to become the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha.^[17]

Vajpayee-Advani Duo[link]

Through the 90s and the first few years of the 21st century, the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-LK Advani combination steered the BJP to heights it had never before witnessed. Their political relationship provided stability, continuity, experience and authority to a party that was beginning even then, to severely lack a solid second-rung. As Advani himself acknowledged, rarely do two political leaders share such a bond, a working relationship that allows them both to thrive and grow without disturbing the fine balance of that bond.

Vajpayee, the poet-Prime Minister and Advani as his able and trusted lieutenant, brought depth and gravity to the BJP leadership. It still is, and will be in many ways, the gold standard to which the BJP will hold itself for many years to come.

Rath Yatras[link]

Popularly known in India as the Eternal yatri or Eternal Charioteer,^[18] L.K. Advani has taken 6 yatras throughout India.

1. Ram Rath Yatra- L.K. Advani started his first Rath Yatra from Somnath, Gujarat^[19] on 25 September 1990 to finally reach Ayodhya on October 30, 1990. The yatra has been linked to the Mandir-Masjid dispute centred around Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid site at Ayodhya. The BJP and Advani, however, focused the yatra on the secularism–communalism debate.^[20]

2. Janadesh Yatra- Four Yatras named Janadesh Yatra^[21] started on 11 september 1993 from four corners of country. L.K. Advani led this yatra from Mysore. Travelling through 14 States and two Union Territories, the yatris congregated at Bhopal on September 25 in a massive rally. The purpose of Janadesh Yatrawas to seek the people's mandate against the two Bills, the Constitution 80th Amendment Bill and the Representation of People (Amendment) Bill.^[22]

3.Swarna Jayanti Rath Yatra- The Swarna Jayanti Rath Yatra by Mr. Advani travelled across India between May and July 1997. According to Mr.Advani, the yatra was conducted in celebration of 50 years of Indian Independence and also to project the BJP as a party committed to good governance.^[23]

4. Bharat Uday Yatra- The Bharat Uday Yatra took place in the run-up to the 2004 Lok Sabha Elections.^[24]

5. Bharat Suraksha Yatra- The BJP launched a nationwide mass political campaign in the form of the Bharat Suraksha Yatra from April 6 to May 10, 2006. It consisted of two yatras – one led by L.K. Advani, Leader of the Opposition (Lok Sabha), from Dwaraka in Gujarat to Delhi; and the other led by Rajnath Singh, then the President of the BJP, from Jagannath Puri in Orissa to Delhi.^[25] The yatra was focused on left wing terrorism, minority politics, corruption, protection of democracy and price rise.^[26]

6. Jan Chetna Yatra- The Jan Chetna Yatra was launched on 11 October 2011 from Sitab Diara, Bihar. The BJP states the purpose of Jan Chetna Yatra is to mobilise public opinion against corruption of the UPA government and put BJP agenda of good governance and clean politics before the people of India.^[27]

See also[link]

• Ayodhya debate
• Hawala scandal

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Lal Krishna Advani. My Country My Life. (2008). ISBN 978-81-291-1363-4.
• Lal Krishna Advani. New Approaches to Security and Development (Paperback). (2003). ISBN 978-981-230-219-9.
• Lal Krishna Advani. A Prisoner's Scrap-Book (Hardcover). (2002). ISBN 978-81-88322-10-7.
• Atmaram Kulkarni. The Advent of Advani: An Authentic Critical Biography (Hardcover). (1995). ISBN 978-81-85345-22-2.
• Sudheendra Kulkarni. Swarna Jayanti Rath Yatra: The story of Lal Krishna Advani's patriotic pilgrimage. (1997). ASIN: B0000CPBO7.
• Pentagon Press. Lal Krishna Advani: Today's Patel (Paperback). (2002). ISBN 978-81-86830-57-4.
• G. Katyal. K. Bhushan. Lal Krishna Advani: Deputy Prime Minister (Hardcover). ASIN: B001G6MAZA
• Pentagon Press. Lala Krishna Advani (Paperback). (2007). ISBN 978-81-86830-59-8.
• Demolition by design VENKITESH RAMAKRISHNAN -Frontline Volume 26 - Issue 25 :: Dec. 05-18, 2009

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Lal Krishna Advani

• Official site
• Profile on website of BJP
• BJP Leader, India
• Profile at BBC News
• Pakistan expresses shock at Mr Advani's resignation
• Allahabad High court order on the Babri Masjid demolition case
• Khurana asks Advani to step down
• Madan Lal Khurana suspended from BJP
• Advani praises functioning of Modi Govt
• Advani to call it quits in December
• Advani Discusses His Prime Ministerial Candidacy
• BJP to fight next poll under second-rung leader: Naqvi
• Official Blog of Lal Krishna Advani
• My Country, My Life Official site

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(Tapuu 17:34, 11 October 2011 (UTC))

Rahul Gandhi
Member of Lok Sabha from Amethi
Incumbent
Assumed office 2004
General Secretary of the Indian National Congress
Incumbent
Assumed office 2007
Chairperson of IYC and NSUI
Incumbent
Assumed office 2007
Personal details
Born	(1970-06-19) 19 June 1970 (age 42) New Delhi, India
Nationality	Indian
Political party	Indian National Congress
Relations	Rajiv Gandhi (father) Sonia Gandhi (mother) Priyanka Vadra (sister)
Residence	New Delhi, India
Alma mater	Rollins College Trinity College, Cambridge
Profession	Member of Parliament
As of 5 June, 2011

Rahul Gandhi ([ˈraːɦʊl ˈɡaːnd̪ʱiː]; born 19 June 1970) is an Indian politician and member of the Parliament of India, representing the Amethi constituency.^[1] Gandhi is the general-secretary of the Indian National Congress.^[2] He is the grandson of Feroze Gandhi and Indira (née Nehru) Gandhi, and fourth-generation scion of the Nehru-Gandhi family.

Early life and career[link]

Rahul Gandhi was born in Delhi on 19 June 1970 ^[3] as the first of the two children of Rajiv Gandhi, who later became the Prime Minister of India and Sonia Gandhi, who later became President of Indian National Congress, and as the grandson of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. He is also the great-grandson of India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. Priyanka Vadra is his younger sister.^[4]

Rahul Gandhi attended St. Columba's School, Delhi^[5] before entering The Doon School in Dehradun (Uttarakhand), also his father's alma mater,^[6] from 1981–83. Meanwhile, his father had joined politics and became the Prime Minister on October 31, 1984 when Indira Gandhi was assassinated. Due to the security threats faced by Indira Gandhi's family from Sikh extremists, Rahul Gandhi and his sister, Priyanka were home-schooled since then.^[7] Rahul Gandhi joined St. Stephen's College, Delhi in 1989 for his undergraduate education but moved to Harvard University after he completed the first year examinations.^[8] In 1991, after Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by LTTE^[9] during an election rally, he shifted to Rollins College due to security concerns and completed his B.A. in 1994.^[10] During this period, he assumed the pseudonym Raul Vinci and his identity was known only to the university officials and security agencies.^[8][11] He further went on to obtain a M.Phil from Trinity College, Cambridge University in 1995.^[12] After graduation, Rahul Gandhi worked at the Monitor Group, a management consulting firm, in London.^[13] In 2002 he was one of the directors of Mumbai-based technology outsourcing firm Backops Services Private Ltd.^[14]

Political career[link]

In March 2004, he announced his entry into politics by announcing that he would contest the May 2004 elections, standing for his father's former constituency of Amethi in Uttar Pradesh in the Lok Sabha, India's lower house of Parliament.^[15] The seat had been held by his mother until she transferred to the neighbouring seat of Rae Bareilly. The Congress had been doing poorly in Uttar Pradesh, holding only 10 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state at the time.^[16] At the time, this move generated surprise among political commentators, who had regarded his sister Priyanka as being the more charismatic and likely to succeed. It generated speculation that the presence of a young member of India's most famous political family would reinvigorate the Congress party's political fortunes among India's youthful population^[17] In his first interview with foreign media, he portrayed himself as a uniter of the country and condemned "divisive" politics in India, saying that he would try to reduce caste and religious tensions.^[15]

He won with a landslide majority, retaining the family stronghold with a margin of over 100,000 as the Congress unexpectedly defeated the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.^[18] Until 2006 he held no other office.^[19]

Gandhi and his sister, who is married to Robert Vadra, managed their mother's campaign for re-election to Rae Bareilly in 2006, which was won easily with a margin greater than 400,000 votes.^[20]

He was a prominent figure in the Congress campaign for the 2007 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections; Congress, however, won only 22 seats with 8.53% of votes.^[21]

Rahul Gandhi was appointed a general secretary of the All India Congress Committee on 24 September 2007 in a reshuffle of the party secretariat.^[22] In the same reshuffle, he was also given charge of the Indian Youth Congress and the National Students Union of India.^[23]

In 2008, senior Congress leader Veerappa Moily mentioned “Rahul-as-PM” idea when the PM of India Manmohan Singh was still abroad.^[24]

Youth politics[link]

In his attempt to prove himself as a youth leader in November 2008 he held interviews at his 12, Tughlak Lane residence in New Delhi to handpick at least 40 people who will make up the think-tank of the Indian Youth Congress (IYC), an organisation that he has been keen to transform since he was appointed general secretary in September 2007.^[25]

Under Rahul Gandhi, IYC and NSUI has seen a dramatic increase in members from a two lakhs to twenty five lakhs.^[26]

In various reports it has been proved that Rahul Gandhi has failed in his promise to eliminate family, patronage, money from Youth Congress. It has been seen that an aspiring delegates need to pay a substantial sum as nomination fee. Hence, an aspiring office-bearer with deep pockets sponsors them thereby allowing money power to have a role in the elections.^[27][28][29]

2009 elections[link]

In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, he retained his Amethi constituency by defeating his nearest rival by a margin of over 333,000 votes. In these elections congress is said to have revived itself in Uttar Pradesh by winning 21 out of the total 80 Lok Sabha seats and the majority of the credit for this turnaround is given to Rahul Gandhi.^[30] He spoke at 125 rallies across the country in six weeks.

Lokpal bill[link]

Rahul Gandhi opines that the Lokpal should be made a constitutional body and it should be made accountable to the Parliament, just like the Election Commission. He also feels that Lokpal alone cannot root out corruption. This statement came out on 25 August 2011, on the 10th day of Anna Hazare's fast. This statement was considered as a delaying tactic by the opposition and Team Anna's members. It was consequently slammed by prominent opposition leaders Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley.^[31] The Parliamentary Standing Committee led by Abhishek Manu Singhvi tabled the Lok Bill report in the Rajya Sabha on 9 December 2011. Almost all points proposed by Team Anna were ignored while Rahul Gandhi's wish for Lokpal to be made into a constitutional body was implemented. Anna Hazare believes that Rahul Gandhi is responsible for the weak and ineffective bill proposed by the standing committee of parliament.^[32]

Land Acquisition Protests Arrest[link]

On 11 May 2011 Rahul Gandhi was arrested by the Uttar Pradesh police at Bhatta Parsaul village after he turned out in support of agitating farmers demanding more compensation for their land being acquired for a highway project.^[33] He was released after being held for about three hours and later returned to New Delhi. He was to be presented before a Sub-Divisional Magistrate on 12 May 2011.^[34]

2012 Assembly elections[link]

Rahul Gandhi campaigned extensively in the 2012 Assembly elections, especially in the highly politically crucial state of Uttar Pradesh (UP) in the hope that his popularity would help bring Congress back to power. However, the party did very poorly in the elections winning only 38 seats, a meagre increase of six seats from the 2007 elections^[35]. The Samajwadi Party and its new leader, Akhilesh Yadav swept the elections in UP, and Mr Yadav was sworn as the youngest Chief Minister of UP. The Congress party suffered humiliating defeats in other states (Goa and Punjab), and a close shave in Uttarahakhand. With only one win in the state of Manipur, the Indian press was quick to question the future of Mr Gandhi as the leader of the Congress party.^[36]

Political and legal issues[link]

Comparison of RSS and SIMI[link]

Rahul Gandhi has been critical of nationalist groups like the RSS and compared them to terrorist organizations like SIMI.^[37][38] According to a cable leaked by Wikileaks, in 2009, he allegedly shared concerns with the American ambassador to India Timothy Roemer that radicalized Hindu groups may pose a bigger threat to India than Islamic terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba.^[39][40] His comments on radical Hindu groups were criticized by the opposition party, as well as the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.^[41]

Sukanya Devi[link]

It has been alleged that Rahul Gandhi had detained a girl and her parents since 2007 after the family accused the Gandhi scion of raping the girl. On 01st Mar 2011, the Lucknow Bench of Allahabad High Court issued a notice to Rahul Gandhi,^[42] however the allegations were found to be false. Allahabad high court not only dismissed the case after the girl in question appeared in the court, but slapped a 50 lakh penalty against the petitioner ordering a CBI inquiry against her and websites publishing the story.^[43]

13th Jul 2011 Terror Attack remarks[link]

On 14th Jul 2011, a day after the serial bombing in Mumbai, Rahul Gandhi gave a statement that "it was very difficult to stop every single terror attack". The remark resulted in a number of strong criticism from a number of Shiv Sena party members.^[44]

See also[link]

• Political Families of The World

References[link]