Agartala
—  capital  —
Ujjayanta Palace
Agartala Location of Agartala in Tripura
Coordinates	23°30′N 91°30′E / 23.50°N 91.5°E / 23.50; 91.5Coordinates: 23°30′N 91°30′E / 23.50°N 91.5°E / 23.50; 91.5
Country	India
State	Tripura
District(s)	West Tripura
Population • Density	3,67,822 (2004[update]) • 6,251 /km2 (16,190 /sq mi)
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)
Area • Elevation	58.84 km2 (23 sq mi) • 12.80 metres (42.0 ft)
Codes • Pincode • 799001 • Telephone • +91 (0)381 • Vehicle • TR
Website	tripura.nic.in

Agartala /ˌɑːɡərtəˈlɑː/ (Bengali: আগরতলা Agortôla, Kokborok: আগরতলা) is the capital of the Indian state of Tripura and is the second-largest city in North-east India after Guwahati in terms of municipal area as Well as population. It is situated in North-east India. It lies on the Haroa River and is located 2 km from Bangladesh. Agartala has temples and palaces. As per 2011 census, Population of Agartala city has exceeded 5,12,000. The population of Agartala was 3,67,822 in 2004 after the municipal expansion^[1] (1,89,327 in the 2001 census).^[2]

History[link]

Foundation[link]

The ancient capital of the then Princely State ‘Swadhin Tripura’ was at Rangamati (Udaipur, South Tripura) by the bank of the river Gomati. In 1760 it was shifted by the Maharaja Krishna Chandra Manikya Bahadur (r.1829-1849) of Manikya Dynasty^[3] to present old Agartala by the bank of the river Howrah and was named ‘Haveli’. Due to frequent invasion of the Kuki's and also to keep easy communication with the British Bengal, the Maharaja Krishna Chandra Manikya started the process of shifting the capital from Old Haveli to New Haveli (present Agartala) in 1849.

During the British Raj, Agartala was the capital of the erstwhile 'Hill Tippera' state, it became a municipality in 1874-75, and in 1901 had the population of 9,513.^[4]

Agartala Municipality[link]

The Agartala Municipality was established during the reign of Maharaja Bir Chandra Manikya (1862–1896) within an area of 3 square miles (8 km²) having a population of only 875 by a royal proclamation in the last part of 1871. Mr. A.W.S. Power, the first British political agent for Tipperah was also appointed as the Chairman of the Agartala Municipality in 1872 who held office from 1872-73.

Planned city[link]

Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya Bahadur is called the founder of the planned city of Agartala. During the 1940s the town area was re-organised in a planned manner with new roads and a market building.

Geography and climate[link]

Agartala is situated in a plain along the Haora River, though the city also extends to the low lying hills on its northern parts.

Agartala has a monsoon influenced humid subtropical climate with large amounts of rain almost all year. The city experiences long, hot and wet summers, lasting from April to October. Average temperatures are around 28 °C (82 °F), fluctuating with rainfall. There is a short, mild winter from mid-November to early March, with mostly dry conditions and average temperatures around 18 °C (64 °F).

Demographics[link]

As of the 2001 Indian census,^[5] Agartala had a population of 189,327. Males constituted 50% of the population and females 50%. Agartala has an average literacy rate of 85%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with 52% of the males and 48% of females literate. 8% of the population is under six years of age.

Historical population[link]

In 1941 Agartala had a population of 17,693.^[6] By 1991 the population had risen to 157,358.^[7]

Growth of Agartala City.

Neighbourhoods[link]

A road in Agartala

Agartala city consists of many Paras, which means "locality" in Bengali. Each neighbourhood or para is usually a municipal ward or division also.

Agartala town hall

Localities[link]

Neighbourhoods of the city include:

• Banamalipur
• Dhaleswar
• Pratapgar
• Math Chowmuhani
• Kashari Patti
• Ker Chowhamani
• Kaman Chowmuni
• Krishnanagar
• Radha Nagar
• Shibnagar
• Ramnagar
• Joynagar
• Abhoynagar
• Arundhutinagar
• Gol Bazar
• Gurkha Basti
• Kunjaban
• College Tilla
• Indranagar
• Bholagiri
• Arundhuti Nagar
• Bhati Abhoynagar
• 79 Tilla
• New Capital Complex
• GB Bazar
• Amtali
• Badhar Ghat
• Collegetila
• Jagaharimura
• Lake Chowmuni
• Ganaraj Chowmuni
• Durjoynagar
• Bardowali
• Bottala
• Melarmath
• Khayerpur etc.

These areas are subdivided into residential blocks, such as Banamalipur which is divided into North Banamalipur, Madhya Banamlipur, South Banamalipur, etc.

Extensions[link]

From 2004 the Agartala Municipal Council has been further extended, taking 16 Grams of Dukli R.D.Block, seven Grams of Mohanpur R.D.Block and two Grams of Jirania R.D.Block with area of 43 km². and 1,78,495 population in addition to the 16 km² and population of 2,00,000 in 2001 census.^[8][9]

City administration[link]

The Agartala city is managed by the Agartala Municipal Council, AMC, which divides the city into wards. Each ward has an elected ward representative or municipal councillor. For postal administration the city is divided into postal zones.

Municipal wards[link]

Politics[link]

Agartala assembly constituency is part of Tripura West (Lok Sabha constituency).^[10]

Economy[link]

The city is the state capital. Most of the population is employed in the state and central government, and other government owned enterprises.

Public sector[link]

Major PSUs in Agartala are:

• ONGC
• GAIL
• BSNL
• NEEPCO [1] (North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Limited)
• TSECL (Tripura State Electricity Corporation Limited)

Private sector[link]

The main business area of the city is the Battala Bazaar, Gol Bazaar and Kaman Chowmuhani area, which has shops, bazaars, banks, etc.

Major Indian banks serving Agartala:

• Tripura Grameen Bank
• State Bank Of India
• Punjab National Bank
• Axis Bank
• ICICI Bank
• Vijaya Bank
• Canara Bank
• UCO Bank
• HDFC Bank
• Union Bank
• Yes Bank
• Oriental Bank Of Commerce
• United Bank Of India
• Bank of Maharashtra
• Andhra Bank

Private companies serving Agartala:

• World of Titan
• Titan Eye+
• Giria Rubbers
• Jaipur Marbles
• Webstar Technology
• DS Group
• Sify
• Sangyog Network Private Limited
• Sahara India Pariwar
• Gitanjali Jwellers
• TATA
• Tanishq
• Magic Web India
• Senriyasa Technology
• S Infotech
• Anjali Microfinance
• IL&FS
• Muthoot Finance
• GPT Group
• Nagarjuna Construction Company
• L&T
• Ramky

The major commodities exported from Agartala are tea, rubber, bamboo stick & Agarbatti, Bamboo Handicrafts and gas/LPG.

Demography and culture[link]

The city mainly consists of Bengalis and Tripuris. Bengali, or rather, a version of it, is widely spoken in the city as a result of the erstwhile regal patronage and high influx of Bengalis from Comilla, Sylhet, Noakhali, Chittagong districts of Bengal(Now part of Bangladesh). Kokborok is the other official state language and is widely used in the Krishnanagar area of the city. Durga Puja and Saraswati puja are celebrated with great grandeur and ecstatic enthusiasm, which reflect the influence of the culture of the Bengalis. The inter-cultural, inter-communal integrity is rather wonderful. Hence, nearly every festivity attracts participation from citizens of diverse and vibrant backgrounds. There is also a population of the native Tripuri people in the city. Among the native Tripuri festivals, the most famous are Kharchi and Garia Poojas. Kharchi puja is basically the puja of 14 Hindu deities including Durga, Laksmi, Saraswati, Ganesh, Shiva, Bramha, Vishnu etc.

Languages[link]

While Bengali, or the local version of it, is the primary mode of communication, Kokborok is the also widely spoken, especially among the tribal peoples of Tripura. It is rather curious that Bengali has been the official language of the State of Tripura [it has never been under the British Raj] for over 250 years, even in the days when Farsi was the official language in Bengal! Tripuri, Manipuri, Chakma are the other major languages in use. There are 19 major tribes living in the state, many of whom reside in the Autonomous District Council(ADC) of the State. Since 1977, Kokborok has been the co-official state language. Kokborok is written both in the Bengali and the Roman script, and the issue of its script remains an unsettled matter, though the government uses the Bengali script for official matters. it is estimated that nearly 70% of the population speaks Bengali while majority of the Tribal people speak Kokborok.

Religion[link]

Laxmi Narayan Bari temple in the Palace Compound

Hinduism is the dominant religion and there are many temples across the city.

Islam, Christianity and Buddhism are the other religions followed in the city.

The major places of religion are listed below:

Temples[link]

Some prominent temples are:

• Laxmi Narayan Bari temple in the Palace Compound.
• Jagannath Temple.
• Ram Thakur's Ashram in Banamalipur.
• Durga Bari Temple in the Palace Compound
• Pagla Debata Temple, Agartala Old Motorstand
• Satsanga Bihar, Krishnanagar
• Kalibari Temple in the Palace Compound
• Baba Loknath Temple, Laxmi Narayan Bari Road
• Umamaheshwar Temple(Shibbari), Central Road
• Ramkrishna Mission, Math Chowmani (Near Dhaleswar), Gandhi Ghat & Amtali
• Bhavatarani Temple, Melarmath
• Pagli masi Temple, Melaghar

Mosques[link]

One Prominent Mosque is:

• Gedu Miyar Masjid

Universal Prayer Hall, Ramakrishna Mission,Agartala,India

Monastery[link]

• Benuban Bihar, Kunjaban

Churches[link]

• Agartala Baptist Church, Arundhutinagar, the oldest church in Agartala
• Agartala City Baptist Church, Krishnanagar
• Capital Baptist Church, Gurkhabasti
• City Baptist Church, Melarmath
• Khakotor Baptist Church, Abhoynagar
• St. Joseph's Catholic Church, Durjoynagar
• Presbyterian Church, Shyamali Bazaar

Universal Prayer Hall[link]

• Universal Prayer Hall has been build up at Ramakrishna Mission Dhaleswar Complex in Agartala, which one is a great and unique initiative of Ramakrishna Mission, Tripura State Committee. Swami Purnatmanandaji Maharaj, Executive Secretary Of Ramakrishna Mission, Tripura State Committee and Former Editor of Udhbodhan, the publication of Ramakrishna Mission, has been broadly implemented the project. It a Prayer Hall for all the communities where each and every communal or religious program may be performed without any barriers and with open mind. Its a rear initiative of Ramakrishna Mission at Agartala and preferably only of its own kind. On 7 February the Hall has been inaugurated by Swami Swarananandaji Maharaj, Vice President of Ramakrishna Mission, Belur Math, Kolkata after a great eventual arrangement.

Transport[link]

Road[link]

National Highway 44 connects Agartala to Assam and the rest of India by road. The highways (NH44, NH 44A) connects Agartala with Silchar (317 km), Guwahati (599 km), Shillong (499 km), Dharmanagar (200 km) and Aizawl (443 km). A bus service connects it to Dhaka (150 km).

Agartala is well connected by road to other parts of Tripura state. National highway 44 has been extended to the south, thus improving the road connectivity between Agartala and south Tripura. Buses, Jeeps, Trekkers and SUVs are the most popular public carriers, and cars and vans are usually used for private hire.

The main mode of transport within the city consists of a network of cycle rickshaws, auto rickshaws and buses.

Airport[link]

Agartala is connected by air, via Agartala Airport which connects it to other cities in India. There are direct flight connections to Kolkata, Imphal, Delhi, Silchar, Aizwal, Guwahati, Bangalore, Chennai, Ahmedabad and Mumbai. Agartala airport is the second busiest airport in north east India after Guwahati.

The major airlines are Air India, Jet Airways (Operating Codeshare and Konnect Flights), Indigo Airlines, Kingfisher Airlines, and Spicejet.

Railways[link]

Agartala has been connected to other cities in India since June 2008. The foundation stone for the 119 km Kumarghat-Agartala railway project was laid in 1996 by former prime minister H D Deve Gowda.

Agartala is the second capital city (after Guwahati, Assam) in the northeast to be connected to the country's railway network.

A rail link between Agartala and Akhaura, Bangladesh was approved by the Government of India in September 2011.^[11]

Communications[link]

Telecommunications[link]

List of Telecom companies serving Agartala:

• Bharti Airtel
• Aircel
• Reliance Telecom Limited
• BSNL
• Vodafone
• Tata Docomo
• Idea Cellular
• S-Tel
• Tata Docomo

Radio stations[link]

• AIR

Television[link]

Doordarshan (DD) has a television station in Agartala. Akash Tripura is a television channel in Agartla. It is a full time Agartala based news channel.

Newspapers[link]

Bengali-language media is dominant in the city. Major news publications are:

• Dainik Sambad (Bengali)
• Dainik Arohan (Bengali)
• Syandan Patrika (Bengali)
• Tripura Darpan (Bengali)
• Tripura Times (English)
• Ajker Fariad (Bengali)
• Daily Desher Katha (Bengali)
• Manush Patrika (Bengali)
• Tripura observer (English)
• Shokalbela (Bengali)
• Tripura Samay

Education[link]

Agartala has educational institutions, schools and colleges, and a university.

Universities[link]

• Tripura University
• ICFAI university, Tripura
• IGNOU
• Sikkim Manipal University

Colleges[link]

• National Institute of Technology, Agartala
• MBB College
• Women's College
• Ramthakur College
• Agartala Government Medical College
• Tripura Medical College & DR.B.R.Ambedkar Memorial Teaching Hospitlal, Agartala
• Tripura Institute of Technology
• Women's Polytechnic
• Regional Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences And Technology(RIPSAT),Abhoynagar
• Tripura Institute Of Para-medical sciences,Amtali
• Holy Cross College, Agartala
• Bir Bikram Mameorial College

Schools[link]

• Umakanta Academy Estd-1890
• Maharani Tulsibati Girls H.S. School
• Holy Cross School
• Shishu Bihar Higher Secondary School
• Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya, Amtali
• Sri Krishna Mission School,
• Hindi Higher Secondary School
• Kendriya Vidyalaya, Kunjaban
• Kendriya Vidyalaya, Badharghat
• Bardowali Higher Secondary School
• Ramakrishna Vivekananda Vidyamandir
• Shiksha Niketan Higher Secondary School
• Don Bosco
• St. Paul's School
• Budhjung H.S. School (Boys)
• Budhjung Girls H.S. School
• Netaji Subhash Vidyaniketan
• BaniVidyapith School
• Bhavan's Tripura Vidya Mandir
• Pragati Vidhyabhaban
• Sankara Charaya Vidyayatan

Sports[link]

Many sports and games are played. Favourite is football with its own city football league with clubs from the neighborhoods and localities. Tripura has a state team which plays in the Eastern division of the Ranji Trophy Championship, the national cricket competition of India.

The main stadiums are the Badarghat Stadium, College Tilla Cricket Stadium and the Umakanta Academy Mini-Stadium.

Tourism[link]

Places of interest[link]

Ujjayanta Palace

• College Tilla - Maharaja Bir Bikram College, Tripura University buildings, football ground, international cricket stadium, picturesque lush landscapes and serene natural lakes. Its also a National Bird Sanctuary
• Ujjayanta Palace - Palace of the Tripura kings, now converted to state legislative assembly.
• Jagannath temple — Hindu temple of Vaishnava school of thought.
• Umamaheswar temple — Hindu temple of Shaiva and Shakti(durga).
• Venuban Budhha Vihar
• Krishna Mandir
• Puratan Agartala
• Malancha Niwas
• Sipahijala Zoo
• Neermahal (Palace amidst a natural lake,Rudrasagar)
• Pilak (Buddhist sculpture of 7th & 8th century)
• Unokoti
• Kamalasagar
• Jampui Hill (The Kashmir of Tripura which produces Oranges)
• Rose Valley Amusement Park, Amtali
• Matabari, Udaipur

Parks[link]

• Rabindra Kanan
• Children's Park
• Nehru Park
• kishans park
• Rose valley park

Museums[link]

• Tripura State Museum at Post Office Chowmuhani.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Agartala

• Bengali newspaper of Tripura
• About AMC
• Agartala travel guide from Wikitravel
• Tripura tourism website, Government of Tripura
• Tripura University website
• Tripura Police website
• TSECL
• Agartala Horti Agriculture Government Offices
• Weather statistics at Weather.co.uk
• Agartala on GlobalGuide.Org
• Tripura tribal information and community portal
• Durga Puja from Agartala
• MSN Map
• [2]

v t e State and Union Territory capitals of India Agartala Aizawl Bangalore Bhopal Bhubaneswar Chandigarh Chennai (Madras) Daman Dehradun New Delhi Dispur Gandhinagar Gangtok Hyderabad Imphal Itanagar Jaipur Jammu (in winter) Kavaratti Kohima Kolkata (Calcutta) Lucknow Mumbai (Bombay) Panaji (Panjim) Patna Puducherry (Pondicherry) Port Blair Raipur Ranchi Shillong Shimla Silvassa Srinagar (in summer) Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum)

Kumar Vishwas
Occupation	Professor, Poet, Associate Professor
Nationality	Indian
Citizenship	Indian
Education	M.A., PhD., DLit
Genres	Romantic Poetry
Notable award(s)	Hindi-Punjabi Award Committee, Uttar Pradesh “Sahitya Shree-2006” Geet Shree 2010
www.kumarvishwas.com

Kumar Vishwas' (डॉ. कुमार विश्वास ) (also spelt as Vishvas or Vishwas) (born 10 February 1970) is a renowned Hindi Poet and a professor of Hindi Literature from Pilkhuwa[1], Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh.

Early life and education[link]

Kumar Vishwas was born on 10 February 1970, in Pilkhuwa, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh in a Gaur Brahmin family. He is the youngest among four brothers and a sister. He started his schooling from Lala Ganga Sahay School, Pilkhuwa where he spent a part of his childhood. His father Dr. Chandra Pal Sharma was Lecturer in R.S.S. Degree College, Pilkhuwa affiliated to Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut and his mother Smt. Rama Sharma is a home maker. After completing his intermediate from Rajputana Regiment Inter College, Pilkhuwa, his father wanted him to be an Engineer, but he had a passion for Poetry right from the childhood. He took no interest in engineering and decided to make career in the field of Poetry. He did Post Graduation in Hindi Literature.

Career[link]

Vishvas started his career as a professor in the year 1994 from Rajasthan. He has been teaching Hindi Literature to higher class students of Lala Lajpat Rai College for the last sixteen years.^[1]

Works and achievements[link]

Vishvas is a Poet of Hindi language. He is a poet of Shringara-Ras (Romantic Genre).^[2] He has participated in several Kavi sammelan and is a very renowned poet.

His fan communities on social networking websites like Orkut,^[3] and Facebook^[4] have largest number of fans as compared to other Hindi poets.^{[citation needed]} Also, his videos on YouTube have in excess of 40 million views.^[5] His website^[6] is a frequently visited website among youths.^{[citation needed]}

Dr Kumar Vishvas has written the 'Kul-Geet' or the University Anthem of Chaudhary Charan Singh University.^[7]

Besides being a known face among Hindi-knowing people across the world as a Poet, Dr Kumar Vishvas has been involving himself in several Social works. He is an active and renowned member of the Civil Society. He has been an integral part of Veteran Social Leader Anna Hazare's 'India against corruption' mission along with Mr Arvind Kejriwal and Mr Manish Sisodia for which he was arrested on 16 August 2011.^[8]

Performances[link]

Vishvas has been performing regularly in Kavi sammelan all over India and abroad. The list includes Thapar University, BIT SINDRI, Sindri , INDIAN SCHOOL OF MINES, Dhanbad, Jamia Hamdard University, IIIT Hyderabad, RKGIT Ghaziabad, NIFT Gandhinagar, IIT Guwahati, NIT ROURKELA, IIT Kanpur, IIT Roorkee,^[9] IIT Kharagpur,^[10] IIT Bubaneshwar,^[11] Jamia Millia Islamia New Delhi,^[12] DA-IICT Gandhinagar, B.J. Medical College Ahmadabad , Sri Ram Murti Smarak College of Engineering and Technology Bareilly, Teerthanker Mahaveer Medical College Moradabad, MNIT Jaipur, Management Development Institute Gurgaon, Fore School of Management New Delhi, NIT Surat, B.S.Anangpuria Institute of Technology and Management Faridabad,^[13] KIIT University Bhubaneswar,^[14] NSIT Delhi, National Institute of Technology, Kurukshetra IIITM Gwalior, CDGI INDORE,^[15] Jawaharlal Nehru University Delhi,^[16] MNNIT Allahabad,^[17] NIT Patna,^[18][19] IIM Lucknow,^[20] NIT Jalandhar,^[21] NIT Trichy,^[22] NIT Durgapur, BITS, Pilani,^[23] LNCT Bhopal,^[24] MERI Kolkata, [(Maharaja Sayaji Rao University ,Baroda|http://www.msubaroda.ac.in/)] B.I.T. Sindri,^[25] IET Lucknow, SSGPURC hoshiarpur, JIIT, Noida^[26], KNIT Sultanpur and MITS, Gwalior^[27], Institute of Technology- BHU and Babasaheb Naik College Of Engineering Pusad.(Maharashtra)and several other institutions across India.

He has also been a part of corporate celebration across India.^{[citation needed]}

Besides performing in almost all parts of India, Dr Kumar Vishvas has also performed in countries like USA,^[28] Dubai,^[29] Singapore^[30], Japan ^[31] Muscat, Abu Dhabi, Nepal etc.

Awards[link]

• Kavya – Kumar in 1994 by Dr. Kunwar Baichain Kavya samman avam puruskaar samiti^[32]
• Dr. Suman Alankarna in 2004 by Sahitya Bharti, Unnao.^[32]
• Sahitya Shree - 2006 by Hindi-Punjabi Award Academy.^[33]
• Dr Urmilesh "Geet Shree" Samman, 2010 by Dr Urmilesh Jan Chetna Samiti, Badaun.^[34]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Website

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]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Rahul Gandhi

• Profile at BBC News
• Profile at Govt. of India website
• Rahul Gandhi collected news and commentary at The New York Times
• Rahul Gandhi collected news and commentary at The Times of India