Ghulam Nabi Azad

Ghulam Nabi Azad
غلام نبی آزاد
Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha
Assumed office
8 June 2014
Preceded by Arun Jaitley
Minister of Health and Family Welfare
In office
22 May 2009 – 26 May 2014
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
Preceded by Anbumani Ramadoss
Succeeded by Harsh Vardhan
Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir
In office
2 November 2005 – 11 July 2008
Governor Srinivas Kumar Sinha
Narinder Nath Vohra
Preceded by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed
Succeeded by Omar Abdullah
MP of Rajya Sabha for Jammu and Kashmir
Assumed office
16 February 2015
Constituency Jammu and Kashmir
Personal details
Born (1949-03-07) 7 March 1949
Soti, India
Political party Indian National Congress
Other political
affiliations		 United Progressive Alliance (2004–present)
Spouse(s) Shameem Dev Azad (1980–present)
Children Saddam
Sofiya
Alma mater Government Degree Colleges, Bhadarwah
University of Jammu
University of Kashmir
Religion Islam

Ghulam Nabi Azad (born 7 March 1949, in Jammu and Kashmir, India) is an Indian politician from the Indian National Congress and was the Minister of Health and Family Welfare.[1] Presently he serves as the Leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha.[2]

He was the Parliamentary Affairs Minister of India in the government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh until 27 October 2005, when he was appointed as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. After delivering victories in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, after which Andhra was divided in two parts (Telangana and Coastal Andhra). He led the party successfully in the 2002 Assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir.

Political career

As a Union minister, he steered successive Congress governments to victory in 21 no-confidence motions including the minority government of P. V. Narasimha Rao in the early 1990s.

Azad's first political assignment was the Block Congress Committee secretary in Bahlesa Distt Doda in Jammu and Kashmir's Doda district, his native place.

In 1980, he was appointed as the President of the All India Youth Congress, the first from the minority community.

After being elected to the Seventh Lok Sabha from Maharashtra's Washim (Lok Sabha constituency) in 1980, Azad entered into the Central government as Deputy Minister in charge of Law, Justice and Company Affairs Ministry in 1982.

Subsequently, he was elected to the Eighth Lok Sabha in 1984 and was a first member (1990 - 1996) from Maharashtra as a Rajya Sabha.[3] During Rao's government, Azad took charge of Parliamentary Affairs and Civil Aviation ministries. He was subsequently elected to Rajya Sabha from Jammu and Kashmir during the term of 30/11/1996 to 29/11/2002 and 30/11/2002 to 29/11/2008, but resigned on 29/04/2006 as he became Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir on 2 November 2005.[3]

In June 2008, Azad's government announced plans to transfer land to the board of a Hindu shrine. Many Muslims were angered by this decision and protested, leading the government to cancel the transfer; however, this reversal provoked Hindu protests. Seven people were reported killed in violence that accompanied these protests. The People's Democratic Party, a coalition partner of the Indian National Congress in Jammu and Kashmir, withdrew its support for Azad's government, and rather than attempt to sustain his government by requesting a vote of confidence, Azad resigned on 7 July 2008,[4] and left office on 11 July 2008.

In the second United Progressive Alliance Government, led by Dr. Manmohan Singh, Mr. Azad, was sworn in as the Health Minister of India. He was elected to Rajya Sabha for 4th term and 3rd term from Jammu and Kashmir during the term of 30/11/1996 to 29/11/2002.[3] He has said, that he shall be expanding the National Rural Health Mission, that has mobilized half a million health workers, all across India, and that his ministry would also be launching a similar National Urban Health Mission, to serve the slum dwelling urban poor. He has advocated a late marriage age of between 25 and 30, especially for girls, and has asked people, to watch television, instead of producing children.

Personal life

Azad married Shameem Dev Azad, a well known Kashmiri singer, in 1980, and they have a son Saddam Nabi Azad and a daughter Sofiya Nabi Azad.[5][6][7][8]

References

  1. ↑ "Council of Ministers - Who's Who - Government: National Portal of India". http://india.gov.in. Government of India. Retrieved 11 August 2010. External link in |work= (help)
  2. ↑ "Ghulam Nabi Azad named Leader of Congress in Rajya Sabha". IANS. news.biharprabha.com. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 "Alphabetical List Of Former Members Of Rajya Sabha Since 1952". Retrieved 3 October 2015.
  4. ↑ "Kashmir chief's surprise resignation", CNN, 7 July 2008.
  5. ↑ http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/power-girl/1/146822.html
  6. ↑ http://www.fashionscandal.com/2012/11/ghulam-nabi-azads-son-to-wed-dlf-supremos-grand-daughter/
  7. ↑ http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2007-07-28/news-interviews/27987749_1_ghulam-nabi-azad-chief-minister-foreign-university
  8. ↑ http://www.hindu.com/2005/11/04/stories/2005110403291500.htm

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ghulam Nabi Azad.
Political offices
Preceded by
Mufti Mohammad Sayeed		 Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir
2005–2008 		Succeeded by
Vacant (Governor's Rule)
Preceded by
Anbumani Ramadoss		 Minister of Health and Family Welfare
2009–2014 		Succeeded by
Harsh Vardhan
Preceded by
Arun Jaitley		 Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha
2014–present 		Incumbent
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