Kamal Nath is a prominent figure in Indian politics. He is one of the most senior and longest-serving members of the Indian Parliament. Due to his long political career, he held various positions under various Indian Prime Ministers. While studying at Doon College, he met Sanjay Gandhi and stories of their friendship began to circulate. Good relations with the Gandhi family had been his real power in politics. Kamal Nath is one of the most important figures in the Indian National Congress. Due to his trustworthy nature, he had a very close relationship with the former Prime Minister of India, Mrs. Indira Gandhi, and was regarded as her “second in command”. He is not only a political giant but also a business tycoon. He owns several multinational companies.
Biography/Wiki
Kamal Nath was born on November 18, 1946, in a wealthy family in Kanpur district of United Provinces (now Uttar Pradesh). He received his primary education from Doon School, Dehradun. While he was at Doon School, he met Indira Gandhi’s son, Sanjay Gandhi, and they immediately hit it off. He was close to the Gandhi family because of Sanjay Gandhi.
For higher education, Kamal Nath enrolled at St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in commerce.
Kamal Nath and Sanjay Gandhi
family
He was born to Mahendra Nath and Leela Nath. On January 27, 1973, he married fellow politician Alka Nath.
Kamal Nath and his wife
The couple has two sons: Nakul Nath and Bakul Nath.
Kamal Nath and his sons
Nakul Nath, son of Kamal Nath
Profession
With the help of former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Kamal Nath defeated Pratul Chandra Dwivedi in the 1980 Lok Sabha elections from Chhindwara constituency in Madhya Pradesh ).
Kamal Nath sits with Indira Gandhi
He was re-elected to the 8th, 9th and 10th Lok Sabha from the same constituency in 1985, 1989 and 1991 respectively. In June 1991, he became the Union Environment and Forest Minister in the government of PV Narasimha Rao. From 1995 to 1996, he served as Federal Minister of State for Textiles (with independent charge). He won the seat again in the 1998 and 1999 Lok Sabha elections. In 2001, he was appointed Secretary-General of the Indian National Congress, serving until 2004. In the 14th Lok Sabha election, he defeated Prahlad Singh Patel of the Bharatiya Janata Party and was elected as a member of the Lok Sabha. Until 2009, he was responsible for the Commercial and Industrial sector portfolio.
Kamal Nath and Manmohan Singh
On May 16, 2009, he won the parliamentary election again and became the federal minister of road transport and highways in the Manmohan Singh government. Kamal Nath succeeded Jaipal Reddy as the Urban Development Ministry in 2011 due to a cabinet reshuffle. In addition, he is responsible for the Department of Parliamentary Affairs. In 2012, Kamal Nath replaced Jairam Ramesh as an ex-officio member of the Planning Commission. In 2014, he was elected to the 16th Lok Sabha, defeating Chaudhry Chandrabhan Kumar Singh of the BJP. In the same year, he was appointed interim Speaker of the Lok Sabha. In 2018, he was appointed as the Congress unit president in Madhya Pradesh to lead the party in the 2018 assembly elections. On December 17, 2019, he was sworn in as the 18th Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh. He had to resign as Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh on March 20, 2020; before a floor test in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly.
dispute
- In 2007, when Kamal Nath was the commerce minister, a group of ministers including Nath, Pranab Mukherjee and Sharad Pawar The Honorable Minister took the controversial decision to know about the ban on export of Basmati rice and his name came to light.
- His name appeared in the anti-Sikh riots of 1984. According to some reports, after the death of former Indian Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi in 1984, he joined other prominent Congress leaders such as Sajjan Singh and Jagdish Tytler people together to incite the public against the Sikh community.
- On October 18, 2020, he came under criticism for allegedly making remarks against Women and Child Development Minister Imati Devi. Kamal Nath while canvassing votes for Congress MP Suresh Kumar Raje at a public meeting in Dabra, Gwalior said,
Our candidates have simple personalities. He’s not like her. What’s her name? When the rally was named ‘Imati Devi’, the former chief minister continued: “Why should I name her after her? You know her better than me. You should have told me what she was first.”
Awards/Honors
Rani Durgavati University in Jabalpur awarded him an honorary doctorate in 2006. In 2007, FDI Magazine named him FDI Person of the Year. In 2008, The Economic Times named him Business Reformer of the Year. At the 2012 Asian Business Leaders Forum Awards Ceremony, Nath received the ABLF Statesman Award.
Kamal Nath wins ‘Business Reformer of the Year Award’ from Manmohan Singh
Salary/Assets/Net Worth
His salary is Rs 50,000 + other allowances. As in 2014, he has bank fixed deposits of Rs 3 crore, jewelery worth about Rs 48 lakh, farmland worth about Rs 16 crore, residential buildings worth over Rs 172 crore.
His net worth is approximately Rs 211 crore (2014).
interesting facts
- When he was very close to Mrs. Indira Gandhi, there was a popular saying at that time: “Indira Gandhi Ke Do Haath, Sanjay Gandhi, Kamal Nath”.
- He has been elected to the Lok Sabha nine times and has never been defeated.
- During the 15th Lok Sabha elections, he was declared as India’s richest cabinet minister with assets worth Rs 273 crore.
- In 2011, he expressed his views on improving market access in the agricultural sector of developing countries and said India’s export taxes to developed countries were very low.
- In 2012, Nath replaced Pranab Mukherjee and helped the UPA government win a crucial debate on foreign direct investment in retail.
- He also serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Institute of Management Technology (IMT), Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh.
- Nath has been the patron of the ‘Bharat Yuvak Samaj’ and the chairman of the ‘Madhya Pradesh Child Development Council’.
- He is the author of books such as “India’s Century: The Entrepreneurial Era of the World’s Largest Democracy” and “India’s Environmental Issues”.
- Below is the conversation with Kamal Nath from Aap Ki Adalat.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education