Faizabad फ़ैज़ाबाद فیض آباد
—  cultural city  —
Tilak Hall (Victoria Memorial Hall) is the headquarter of Faiazabad and Ayodhya municipal board.
Faizabad Location of Faizabad in Uttar Pradesh and India
Coordinates	26°47′N 82°08′E / 26.78°N 82.13°E / 26.78; 82.13Coordinates: 26°47′N 82°08′E / 26.78°N 82.13°E / 26.78; 82.13
Country	India
State	Uttar Pradesh
District(s)	Faizabad
Population • Density	510,000 (2011[update]) • 5,795 /km2 (15,009 /sq mi)
Sex ratio	898/1000 ♂/♀
Official languages	Hindi, Urdu
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)
Area • Elevation	88 square kilometres (34 sq mi) • 97 metres (318 ft)
Codes • Pincode • 224001 • Telephone • +05278 • Vehicle • UP 42
Website	faizabad.nic.in/

City of Faizabad (Hindi: फ़ैज़ाबाद, Urdu: فیض آباد, Old British Colonial: Fyzabad), the old capital of Awadh, is the headquarters of Faizabad District and Faizabad division as well. Its a joint municipal board with Ayodhya in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India, situated on the banks of river Ghaghra (locally known as Saryu). It was the first capital of the Nawabs of Awadh and has monuments built by the Nawabs of Avadh, like the Tomb of Bahu Begum, Gulab Bari etc. The Legend of Avadh, Umrao Jaan 'Ada', was born in Faizabad (her childhood name was Ameeran). Another legend and Hindi writer Mr. Radhika Prasad Tripathi was from this city. Akhtaribai Faizabadi, also known as Begum Akhtar, was born in Faizabad. She was a classical singer who performed ghazals, dadras, thumris, etc. Among other notable people from Faizabad are Mir Babar Ali Anis, a nineteenth century writer of Marsiya (elegies in Urdu) and Brij Narayan Chakbast, another nineteenth-century Urdu poet. Chakbast is credited to have translated the Ramayana into Urdu for the first time.

History[link]

Saadat Ali Khan, the first and very powerful Nawab and progenitor of Nawabs of Awadh, who laid the foundation of Faizabad and made it the capital city.

Safdarjung, the second Nawab of Awadh, who made Faizabad a military headquarter.

The earliest reference made to Faizabad is said to be in the Ramayana, in which the city is referred to as Saket, the mythical private estate of King Dashrath, father of Lord Ram but the other sources indicate that Saket, which means Heaven in Sanskrit, is the ancient name of holy city of Ayodhya not Faizabad. However, more accurately, the reference is found in Medieval and Modern history, when Nawab Saadat Ali Khan, Burhan-ul-Mulk was given the charge of the Subah of Awadh around 1722 by the Mughal Court. Nawab Sa'adat Khan made the first settlements along the banks of Ghaghra with a cantonment consisting of a fortress and mud barracks. Due to these temporary dwellings, Faizabad was first known as 'Bangla' (implied meaning- hutment).

Establishment of Princely state of Avadh[link]

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Asaf-Ud-Dowlah, The fourth Nawab of Awadh, who shifted the capital of Awadh from Faizabad to Lucknow.

Avadh, a princely state of India, was established around 1722 AD with Faizabad as its capital and Saadat Ali Khan I as first Nawab and progenitor of Nawabs of Awadh He made his own palace near Ayodhya, and founded a new city Faizabad, which became the capital of the new government. Due to his management policy state's income rose from Rupees 70 lakhs to 2 crores.^[1]

Faizabad was developed later on by Saadat Ali Khan's second successor, Nawab Shuja-ud-Daula into a full fledged capital city, with gardens, palaces, markets, roads and other infrastructure. Under Shuja-ud-Daula's reign Faizabad achieved its culmination as an important centre of trade and commerce in northern India and attracted travellers, writers, merchants, artists and courtesans from sll over Europe and Asia. Shuja-ud-Daula also built a fortress on the banks of Saryu after he lost the battle of Buxar in 1764. however, this fort now is nothing more than a hummock.

Faizabad was also a centre of one of many battles of the Mutiny of 1857. A detailed history of Faizabad can be read in 'Tareekh-e-Farahbaksh', written by Munshi Mohd. Faiz Baksh, (after whom Faizabad is named) a courtier in the Shuja-ud-Daula's court. This book has been translated into English by Hamid Afaq Qureshi as 'Memoirs of Faizabad'. Faizabad also finds a prominent and detailed mention in 'Guzishta Lakhnau' written by Maulvi Abdul Halim 'Sharar'. The third nawab of Awadh, Nawab Asaf-ud-Daula, shifted the Capital of Avadh to Lucknow in 1775 after his terms with his mother became sour.^[2]

Excerpt from a website dedicated to Faizabad and Ayodhya on its history: Saadat Khan, the first Nawab of Awadh, laid the foundation of Faizabad at the outskirt of ancient city of Ayodhya. Faizabad developed as a township during the reign of Safdar Jang, the second nawab of Avadh (1739–54), who made it his military headquarters while his successor Shuja-ud-daula made it full fledged capital city. Suja-ud-daula, the third Nawab of Awadh, settled at Faizabad after 1764 and built a fort known as Chhota Calcutta, now in ruins. In 1765 he built the Chowk and Tirpaulia and subsequently laid out the Anguribagh and Motibagh to the south of it, Asafbagh and Bulandbagh to the west of the city. During the reign of Shuja-Ud-Daula, Faizabad attained such a prosperity which it never saw again. The Nawabs graced Faziabad with several beautiful buildings, notable among them being the Gulab Bari, Moti Mahal and the tomb of Bahu Begum. Gulab Bari is a striking building of fine properties, standing in a garden surrounded by a wall, approachable through two large gateways. These buildings are particularly interesting for their assimilative architectural styles. Shuja-ud-daula's wife was the well known Bahu Begum, who married the Nawab in 1743 and continued to reside in Faizabad, her residence being the Moti-Mahal. Close by at Jawaharbagh lies her Maqbara, where she was buried after her death in 1816. It is considered to be one of the finest buildings of its kind in Avadh, which was built at the cost of three lakh rupees by her chief advisor Darab Ali Khan. A fine view of the city is obtainable from top of the begum's tomb. Bahu Begum was a woman of great distinction and rank, bearing dignity. Most of the Muslim buildings of Faizabad are attributed to her. From the date of Bahu Begum's death in 1815 till the annexation of Avadh, the city of Faizabad gradually fell into decay. The glory of Faizabad finally eclipsed with the shifting of capital from Faizabad to Lucknow by Nawab Asaf-ud-daula.^[3]

Connection of freedom fighters with Faizabad[link]

स्वतंत्रता सेनानी अमर शहीद अशफाक उल्ला खाँ alias 'Hasrat' (pen-name).

Ashfaqulla Khan memorial at Faizabad Jail.

Ashfaqulla Khan was detained in the Faizabad jail. A case was filed against him. His brother Riyasat Ulla Khan deployed Kripa Shankar Hajela, a senior advocate to plea his case as a counsellor. Mr Hajela fought the case till the very end but he could not save his life. While in jail, Ashfaq daily performed five times Islamic prayer ('Namaj'). The case of the Kakori conspiracy was concluded by awarding death sentence to four daredevils viz. Pandit Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqulla Khan, Rajendra Lahiri and Thakur Roshan Singh. The sixteen others were awarded the rigorous punishment varying from four years up to life sentence.

A section of people believe that the prominent Indian freedom fighter and revolutionary, Subash Chandra Bose spent his last days in Faizabad living incognito as a godman called 'Gumnami Baba'. This came under attention when 'Gumnami Baba' died in 1985 and was cremated secretively on the banks of river saryu (a memorial has been built at that place), in the dead of night, in the light of a motorcycle's headlight. Its also said that at the time of cremation his face was disfigured by acid to protect his identity. However, no government enquiry was launched into this matter and the identity of Gumnami Baba still remains an enigma.

Geography & Demographics[link]

As per provisional reports of Census India, population of Faizabad in 2011 is 167,544; of which male and female are 87,279 and 80,265 respectively. The sex ratio of Faizabad city is 920 per 1000 males.

In education section, total literates in Faizabad city are 130,700 of which 70,243 are males while 60,457 are females. Average literacy rate of Faizabad city is 86.52 percent of which male and female literacy was 89.34 and 83.45 percent.

Total children (0-6) in Faizabad city are 16,479 as per figure from Census India report on 2011. There were 8,658 boys while 7,821 are girls. Child sex ratio of girls is 903 per 1000 boys.

Faizabad city is governed by Municipal Corporation which comes under Faizabad Urban Agglomeration. Although Faizabad city has population of 167,544; its urban / metropolitan population is 259,160 of which 139,074 are males and 120,086 are females.

Climate[link]

Summer (March to July) temperatures can range from 35 to 45 degrees Celsius. Winters (November to January) temperatures can range from 6 to 25 degrees Celsius. Rains during monsoon season (July to September).

Accessibilty[link]

Main entrance Faizabad Sadar Railway Station.

NH96 connects Faizabad to Allahabad via Sultanpur.

NH28 connects Lucknow to Barauni via Faizabad and Gorakhpur.

Faizabad is well connected with Kanpur, Lucknow, Varanasi, Gorakhpur and Allahabad.

Faizabad Railway Station: The Indian Railways network connects Faizabad directly with Kanpur (4 hours) Lucknow (3 hours.), Varanasi (4 hours.) and Allahabad (5 hours). Direct trains such as Indore - Rajendra Nagar Via. Faizabad Express connects it with Indore, Ujjain, Bhopal Junction, Jhansi, Varanasi and Patna on weekly basis. A few mail express trains also connect Faizabad to Kolkata, New Delhi and Mumbai.

Ayodhya junction: Ayodhya Railway Station is the second railway junction in faizabad which is situated on south end of the city.

By Road: Faizabad is situated on National Highway 28 and has good connectivity with Kanpur(186 km), Lucknow (128 km), Varanasi (200 km), Allahabad (165 km) and Gorakhpur (165 km)]. The state government's Road Transport Service runs regular and frequent buses to and from these cities.

By Air: Nearest airports are Kanpur(186 km) Lucknow (128 km), Allahabad (144 km) and Varanasi (200 km)

Faizabad Airport: Faizabad Airport is being renovated.

Sports[link]

Faizabad Sports Complex[link]

Faizabad Sports Complex Loc: 26°43′47″N 82°08′17″E / 26.72972°N 82.13806°E / 26.72972; 82.13806 is an international standard sports complex being built on NH 96 (Faizabad To Sultanpur Road). The new sports complex would have astro turf, synthetic track, olympic size swimming pool, cricket field, hostels and other required facilities. After an ultra-modern sports complex in Greater Noida, meerut and at Saifai in Etawah, this is one of the sports facilities in Uttar Pradesh.

Faizabad International Sports Stadium[link]

Known as Bhim Rao Ambedkar International Sports Stadium is the part of multi crore Rs. project for sports complex by state government. The Lokayukta office has received a complaint from one Bhanu Pratap Singh of Faizabad who has accused the minister of corruption in the construction of Faizabd international stadium. According to the complainant, the sports minister had a nexus with former sports director Hari Om and former project manager R.D. Prasad and had deliberately delayed the construction of the 86 crore Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar stadium, paving the way for an escalation of costs to 150 crore.^[5][6]

Citiscape[link]

Places to See[link]

Gulab Bari is the tomb of the third Nawab of Awadh Nawab Shuja-ud-Daula in Faizabad

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Gulab Bari: Literally meaning 'Garden of Roses', the tomb of Nawab Shuja-ud-Daula (third Nawab of Awadh), this place has a good collection of roses of various varieties set by the sides of water fountains. Gulab Bari also houses a maqbara (Mausoleum) of Nawab Shuja-ud-Daula in the campus.

Bahu Begum ka Maqbara (Bahu Begum's Mausoluem) in Faizabad

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Bahu Begum ka Maqbara: (The Mausoleum of the Queen Bride) the memorial built for queen of Nawab Shujah-ud-Daulah, Unmatuzzohra Bano Begum. Its one of the tallest buildings in Faizabad and is a beautiful example of non-mughal Muslim architecture. Sadly, this beautiful monument is a victim of neglect and is crumbling.

Military Temple: (The Dogra Regimental Centre/ Corps of Military Police CMP Temple) Located in cantonment area, this temple is beautifully built and the cleanlines and the pollution free environment is just spiritual thing.

. Guptar Ghat: the Ghat (Jetty) where Lord Rama is believed to have taken 'jal samadhi' (leaving the earth for 'Baikuntha', the divine abode of Lord Vishnu, by drowning himself). It has picturesque view of the saryu river and its green banks and has several ancient temples. The view of sunset from Guptar Ghat is breathtaking. a boat ride is a must while visiting this place.

Company Gardens : Adjoining Guptar Ghat, on the banks of River Saryu, is Company Gardens, a botanical garden built during British Rule. it has a well maintained, sprawling garden set amidst lush greenery, far away from the hustle and bustle of the town. It also has an orchard spread over acres. Plants and Trees can also be bought here. The remains of the fort built by Nawab Shuja-ud-Daula after the battle of Buxar is also within walking distance.

Ghanta Ghar: The heart of Faizabad city, houses a clock tower (Ghanta means 'clock' in Hindi and Ghar is the Hindi word for 'house') in the middle of the city center. All distances within the city are measured from this location. The place is also known as Chowk, which houses the main vegetable and spice market in the town.

Shringi Rishi Ashram: 35 km from Faizabad in Goshainganj is ashram of Sage (Rishi in Sanskrit/Hindi) Shringi. Shringi Rishi performed 'Putrakameshti Yajya' for King Dashrath of Ayodhya, after that Lord Rama and his three brothers were born. There is an ashram of Shringi Rishi situated at Sherwaghat near Mehbubganj 11 km from Goshainganj on the banks of Sarayu river at Sherwa Ghat. Legend has it that Shringi Rishi cursed King Parikshit for his sinful conduct against rishi Lomash. The boons and curse uttered by him were proved to be absolutely true. Rishi Shringi was a distinguished expert of the super science of mantras. A temple of Shringi Rishi, is also located at Sherwaghat, and a fair is held every year in May in his honour. A cave is also located in district Faizabad near Mehbubganj Near Goshainganj where he is supposed to have stayed. It is a long cave where he is supposed to do 'yagna' (Ritual) and is worth seeing. A place called Dilasigang. This is amazing place as located on Ghaghra bank River.

Shopping places[link]

Faizabad Chowk, is the heart of the city.

Faizabad Chowk: Next to Ghanta Ghar, is the central market of Faizabad town. One can find vegetables, fruits and spices in this market. Also, there are numerous jewellery shops in the area which cater to Faizabad town and many villages which lie in near-by areas. Some leading cloth shops could be easily found in this area. This market also has many prominent books and stationary shops of the town. Madhur sweet shop offers wide range of delicious Indian sweets. Plenty of aloo-chat shops. There is a parking facility right in the centre of chowk. Big sabzi mandi offers fresh vegetables, directly from the nearby farms.

Rekabgunj: About a kilometer away from Chowk (towards Lucknow) lies the Rekabgunj market which has a multitude of pharmacies. The market also has some seed shops which cater to the farmers of the adjoining regions. Many Restaurants and Hotels are there when going towards Lucknow. This is one of the Tourist's spot.

Bajaja: A place adjacent to Chowk towards Sultanpur Road holds a market for Clothes and garments. In Urdu Bajaja means cloth market. This area also holds major banks viz Union Bank of India, SBI and Allahabad Bank. Abha hotel in the centre of bajaja and in the main city.

Fatehganj: This is a market mainly for wholesale grocery and other hose hold items. This area is on the same road on which Bajaja falls. Hotel Krishna Palace is adjacent to the fountain near Faizabad jail. This is the place which is near to Bus Station as well as Railway Station. This is one of the Tourist's spot.

Educational institutions[link]

There are two Universities in Faizabad District, Dr.Ram Manohar Lohia Awadh University (formerly Avadh University) Awadh University and Narendra Dev University of Agriculture and Technology in Kumarganj Faizabad (NDUAT). Kamta Prasad Sundar Lal Saket Post-Graduate degree college, one of the finest PG college of Awadh university, is also situated in Ayodhya, Faizabad.^[7]

Faizbad has a number degree and post degree colleges and an array of English and Hindi medium schools.

Namesakes[link]

The Town of Fyzabad in Trinidad and Tobago is named after Faizabad, when indentured labourers from Faizabad and other districts in Uttar Pradesh were taken to the islands. There are towns with same name in Afghanistan (Fayzabad, Badakhshan) and Tajikistan (Faizobod) as well. Fayzabad in Afghanistan is the administrative headquarter of the Badakhshan Province. M M Luskhary Academy, Barun Bazar, Faizabad

Famous People[link]

Bollywood actress Pooja Batra belongs to Faizabad city.

Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia was born in Akbarpur then in Faizabad district.

Legendary Hindi writer Mr. Radhika Prasad Tripathi was from this city. Akhtaribai Faizabadi, also known as Begum Akhtar, was born in Faizabad. She was a classical singer who performed ghazals, dadras, thumris, etc. Among other notable people from Faizabad are Mir Babar Ali Anis, a nineteenth century writer of Marsiya (elegies in Urdu) and Brij Narayan Chakbast, another nineteenth-century Urdu poet. Chakbast is credited to have translated the Ramayana into Urdu for the first time.

• Mitra Sen Yadav (Politician).
• Radhaye shayam yadav (Politician Darshan nagar Ayodhya in district Faizabad)
• Mangal Pandey ( Father of India's first war of Independence 1857, Born in Akbarpur tehsil)
• Acharya Narendra Deva
• Pooja Batra, the Bollywood actress was born in Faizabad.
• Indu Jain (Owner of Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd,Times of India Group,Forbes India's top 20 richest person)
• Vinay Katiyar (Politician)
• Ravindranath Tewari (Politician)
• Satyendranath Tripathi (Politician)
• Sri Hanuman Shukla ( Great freedom Fighter in 1857)
• Sri. Radhika Prasad Tripathi ( Poet )
• Mir Babar Ali Anis
• Brij Narayan CHakbast (Poet)
• Umrao Jaan
• Hazrat Khawaja Naseeruddin Chirage Dehli
• Akhtari Bai Faizabadi, or Begum Akhtar
• Kunwar Narain (Poet)
• Akhil Kumar ( Indian Boxer, Olympian)
• Anantu Tiwari (Veer Sewa medal winner, Indian Army, Died in Indo-Pak war)
• Rustomji cama (Associated with Mahatma Gandhi)
• Pt. Kiran Mishra (Famous Lyrics writer Specially Devotional Songs)

Faizabadi Cuisine[link]

Traditionally being an unintegrated part of Awadh; Awadhi cuisine is the cuisine popular in Faizabad.

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  Awadhi thali (platter) with Naan bread, Daal, Raita, Shahi paneer, and Salad.

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  Some assorted halva including sooji, chana, and gajar halva

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  Paratha served with tea.

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  puri with accompaniments

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  Chicken Dum Biryani is one of the delicacy of Awadh.

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  Navratan Korma

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  Persian dishes introduced in Awadh region.

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  Chicken Curry with Chapati.

Cooking style[link]

Dum dena: This is a frequently method used in Awadh cooking. 'Dum' literally means 'breath' and the process involves placing the semi-cooked ingredients in a pot or deg, sealing the utensil with flour dough and applying very slow charcoal fire from top, by placing some live charcoal on the lid, and some below. The Persian influence is most evident in this method though in Awadh it has acquired its own distinct character. The magic of dum' is the excellent aroma, flavor and texture which results from slow cooking. This method is followed for a number of delicacies such as the Shabdeg, Pulao and Biryani. Any dish cooked by this method is 'Dum Pukht' or 'Dum Bakht'

Gallery[link]

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  Bollywood actress Pooja Batra was born in Faizabad.

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  Freedom fighter Ashfaqullah Khan was hanged in Faizabad jail.

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  Depiction of The fort, now ruined, was built by Shujaudaula of Faizabad Hodges, William (1744-1797).

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  Depiction of Faizabad Fort by William Hodges, 1787.

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  Gate of the Loll-Baug at Fyzabad; by Thomas and William Daniell, 1801* (BL).

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  Entrance to Bahu Begum ka Maqbara.

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  "Gateway, Faizabad," a photo, c.1880's.

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  another view of Maqbara

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  Ramparts of Maqbara

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  The main entrance way of Maqbara is lined with palm trees.

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  The majestic architecture

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  Arched entrance to halls inside Maqbara.

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  A hall inside maqbara of bahu begum

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  Gulab Bari, The Mausoleum of Nawab Shuja ud Daulah,

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  The temple at Guptar Ghat

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  Guptar Ghat during the dry winter season

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  Faizabad Railway Station

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  Gulab Bari

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  Shuja-ud-Daula

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  beautiful gothic style church at the Mission School

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  Tilak Hall, Faizabad's town hall, office of the municipal borad. During the Raj, was known as "Victoria Memorial Hall"

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  Faizabad Chowk, the city centre with its clock tower.

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  Acharya Narendra Dev's family mansion in Faizabad.

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  Ayodhya Ghaat on the bank Ghaghara river.

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  Acharya Narendra Deva's Family Mansion in Faizabad

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  Ghaghara river Faizabd.

Surrounding districts[link]

	Barabanki	Gonda	Gonda
	Sultanpur		Basti
		Faizabad    East
	Sultanpur	Ambedkar Nagar	Ambedkar Nagar

See also[link]

• Faizabad division
• Awadh
• History of Uttar Pradesh
• Bikapur
• Khajurahat
• Chaure Bazar

References[link]

This article uses bare URLs for citations. Please consider adding full citations so that the article remains verifiable. Several templates and the Reflinks tool are available to assist in formatting. (Reflinks documentation) (August 2011)

http://peepintojainism.com/thirthankara_dharma_nath.html

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Faizabad

• Faizabad & Ayodhya, city guide and News portal
• Faizabad city website
• Official district web site

Prakash Javadekar (Hindi: प्रकाश जावडेकर) (born January 30, 1951) is a Member of Parliament Rajya Sabha and a leader of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He was elected to Rajya Sabha from Maharashtra in 2008. He is the official spokesperson of the BJP.^[1]

Early life[link]

Prakash Javadekar was born in Pune in the family of Shri Keshav Krishna Javadekar and Ranjani Javadekar, a school teacher. He studied B.Com. from Pune. He was associated with ABVP from student days.

He worked with Bank of Maharashtra for 10 years from 1971– 1981. He also worked in Rural Development Dept. Sick Unit Cell, Employment Promotion Pragramme of the Bank.

His father Keshav Krishna Javadekar was a senior leader of Hindu Maha Sabha and even lead its Pune unit as its President. His father was friend and follower of Veer Savarkar. He worked as joint editor of Marathi Daily started by Lokmanya Tilak - Kesari before having stints with some other newspapers like Tarun Bharat, Kaal as journalist. He still occasionally writes his thoughts in some newspapers. His mother is from Konkan region and was one of the first educated women from her area. Nowadays she conducts free classes of Vedic education for women.

Positions held[link]

Present[link]

• Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha, Parliament of India
• National Spokesperson, Bharatiya Janata Party
• President, GLOBE India (Global Legislators Organisation for Balanced Environment
• In-Charge, BJP Economic Forum and Cells related to Economy
• President, NOINO (National Organisation of Insurance Officers)
• President, KCKU (Khadi Commission Karmachari Union)^[1]

Committees[link]

• Member, Press Council of India
• Member, Public Accounts Committee
• Member, Standing Committee on Human Resources and Development
• Member, Consultative Committee for Ministry of Power
• Member, Committee on Subordinate Legislation
• Member, Committee on Wakf

Previous posts held[link]

Executive President, State Planning Board, Maharashtra (1995–1999) Member of Legislative Council - Maharashtra from Pune Division Graduate Constituency for 12 yrs (1990–2002) Chairman, Task Force on IT, Govt. of Maharashtra (1977–1999) Chairman, Working Group on "IT for Masses" Govt. of India (2000)^[1]

Political Work[link]

• Led Student Movement under ABVP in various capacities (1969–1977)
• Organised Satyagraha against Emergency Rule and imprisoned (1975–1977)
• Elected Senate Member of the Pune University for 12 years (1975–1987)
• National Secretary and General Secretary of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (1984–1990)
• Full-time worker of BJP since 1981
• State Secretary and Campaign Chief of Bharatiya Janata Party, Maharashtra (1989–1995)
• Produced 6 video and 10 audio Films/Music Cassettes for BJP Propaganda
• Spokesman of BJP, Maharashtra (1994-1996 and 2002-2003)^[1]

Emergency days[link]

Prakash Javadekar was a student activist and worked for ABVP during days of emergency. He was arrested during emergency for leading a Satyagraha in Pune. While in jail he was diagnosed with major problem in heart but government was not willing to give permission for operation. All the political activists arrested in jail went on fast and finally government budged in. He was operated upon and came out from jaws of death as during those days survival rate of heart surgeries was abysmally low.

Complaint in Coal Mining Scam[link]

On 31 May 2012 based on his complaint about various irregularities in coal mining, Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) directed a CBI enquiry. Reacting to this he said, "We have made a formal complaint to CVC because there were so may glaring lacunae which needed to be probed. If the inquiry has been ordered, it's good."^{[2] [3]}

Personal life[link]

Prakash has a sister who is MA BEd and is working as a school teacher and one brother who is BCom working in central bank.

His wife is Dr. Prachee Javadekar who is a former Director of Indira Institute of Management, Pune and a leading Education Consultant. He has two sons. First Dr. Ashutosh Javadekar is a Dentist and Artist. Second Apoorva Javadekar is B.Com., CA, FCA and MA (Econmics), DSE MSC Financial Engineering, London and Pursuing PhD in Economics from Boston University.^[1]

Achievements[link]

• "Sir Purshottam Das Thakur Memorial" National Award, for research Papers on "Rural Development & Banks role in Co-ordinated approach".
• Led delegation to Boston to Negotiate Media Lab Asia Project (2000)^[1]

References[link]

[1]

This article about a Bharatiya Janata Party politician is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Akhilesh Yadav (born 1 July 1973) is an Indian politician and the youngest chief minister of Uttar Pradesh.^[2] First time he was elected to the Lok Sabha from Kannauj in a by-election of 2000. He retained his seat in the 2004 and 2009 general elections. Thus he has won the Lok Sabha elections three times since 2000.^[3] He spearheaded the campaign to bring the Samajwadi Party back to power in the U.P. Assembly election 2012.

Early life and education[link]

Akhilesh Yadav was born to Mulayam Singh Yadav and his first wife Malti Devi on 1 July 1973 in the Saifai village of Etawah district.^[4] He took his primary education from St. Mary's School, Etawah^[4]. Thereafter he studied in Dholpur Military School, Dholpur at (Rajasthan. He got Bachelor degree in Civil Engineering from Sri Jayachamarajendra College of Engineering, Mysore and later opted for a Masters in environmental engineering from the University of Sydney.^[5]

Akhilesh gives credit to Janeshwar Mishra who intiated him to join politics.^[6]

2012 UP assembly elections[link]

He introduced modern elements in Samajwadi party's campaigning style.^{[citation needed]} In the 2012 general election he was able to provide the party with a new image.^{[citation needed]} He extensively campaigned across the state holding cycle rallies and public meetings at various locations.^{[citation needed]} His Rath Yatra conducted across the state was highly successful in bringing young voters and people from across all the communities into the Samajwadi party's fold.^{[citation needed]} His personality was a key role in helping the Party towards a victory in U. P. Assembly Elections of 2012,^{[citation needed]} with Samajwadi party winning 224 seats out of total 403.^{[citation needed]} Thus Samajvadi Party being the single largest party formed the government.^{[citation needed]}

He was given credit for the party's rise from a meager 97 seats in the 2007 Vidhan Sabha to a total of 224 and was subsequently elected the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh by the existing MLAs of his party. He became the youngest Chief Minister of this province at the age of 38 years.^[2]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website of Samajwadi Party
• Akhilesh Yadav Website

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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