Nalin Kumar Kateel is an Indian politician, social worker, businessman, and member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Nalin has served as a member of the parliament from the Dakshin Kannada constituency thrice. Kateel has hit the headlines several times for giving controversial statements.
Wiki/Biography
Nalin Kumar Niranjan Shetty Kateel was born on Wednesday, 7 December 1966 (age 56 years; as of 2022) in Mangaluru, Dakshina Kannada, Karnataka. His zodiac sign is Sagittarius. He completed his matriculation at St. Philomena High School Puttur in Dakshina Kannada, Karnataka, in 1983. He did not attend college to pursue higher studies.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 9″
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Dark Brown
Family
Nalin Kumar Kateel belongs to a Hindu upper-caste Bunt family in Karnataka.
Parents & Siblings
His father Nedyodiguttu Niranjan Shetty Kateel (deceased) was a farmer. His mother, Sushila N. Shetty, is a homemaker. He had a brother named Naveen Kumar Kateel, who was a farmer and social activist. He passed away in 2021.
Nalin Kumar Kateel taking blessings from his mother
Wife & Children
His wife, Sridevi N. Shetty, is a homemaker. He has two daughters, Sannidhi N. Shetty, and Sanskruti N. Shetty.
A photo of Nalin Kumar Kateel with his wife and daughters
Relationships/Affairs
In 2014, Nalin Kumar Kateel was reportedly having an extra-marital affair with a married woman in Mangaluru. However, the affair came to an end after the woman’s husband lodged an FIR against Nalin.
Religion
Nalin Kumar Kateel follows Hinduism.
Address
He resides at House No. 201, Ashoka Apartment, Near Daiwajna Kalyana Mantapa, Hoigebail Road, Ashok Nagar, Mangalore – 575006, Karnataka.
Signature/Autograph
Signature of Nalin Kumar Kateel
Career
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)
Nalin Kumar Kateel joined the RSS in 1984 at the age of 18 as a pracharak. Owing to his leadership and managerial skills, Kateel began climbing up the ranks in the Hindu organisation and became an organiser. At RSS, he played an important role in the organisation of the Dharmajagarana Vedike, a campaign which was aimed at preventing the religious conversion of Hindus into other religions and the reconversion of Muslims and Christians to Hinduism. He later participated in the Ayodhya Andoolana. Kateel worked for the RSS till 1996.
Business
After leaving RSS, he started working as a civil contractor and established a construction company in Mangaluru, Karnataka. Nalin also began aiding his family in agriculture after his father passed away.
Politics
In 2004, Nalin Kumar Kateel joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Later, he was appointed as the general secretary of the BJP in the Dakshin Kannada district; he held the post of district secretary till 2009.
A photo of Nalin Kumar Kateel with Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Nalin contested the 2009 Lok Sabha elections on BJP’s ticket from the Dakshin Kannada constituency and emerged victorious. In the elections, he defeated his nearest rival Janardhana Poojary, an Indian National Congress candidate, by a margin of 40,420 votes. On 31 August 2009, Kateel was appointed as a member of the Standing Committee on Commerce. Nalin contested the 2014 general elections from the Dakshin Kannada constituency and received a total of 6,42,739 votes. On 14 August 2014, Nalin was appointed as a member of the Committee on Estimates; he served as its member till 30 April 2015. On 1 September 2014, he became a member of the Standing Committee on Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Food Processing. Nalin served on the committee till 25 May 2019. Thereafter, he became a member of the Consultative Committee of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). Nalin was re-elected to the Lok Sabha for the third time in 2019 from the Dakshin Kannada constituency; he received a total of 6,42,739 votes and registered a victory over his nearest rival Janardhana Poojary.
A photo of Nalin Kumar Kateel taken while he was filing his nomination for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections
On 20 August 2019, Nalin Kumar Kateel was chosen by the BJP to replace B. S. Yediyurappa as the state president of the party. On 9 October 2020, Nalin was appointed as a member of the Committee on Government Assurances. He remained a member of the committee till 8 October 2021. From 13 September 2019 to 12 September 2020, Nalin served on the Committee on Rural Development and Panchayati Raj as a member. On 9 October 2019, Nalin Kumar Kateel was re-appointed as a member of the Committee on Government Assurances. He held the membership of the committee till 8 October 2020. Kateel served as a member of the Committee on Rural Development and Panchayati Raj for the second time from 13 September 2020 to 12 September 2021. He became a member of the Committee on Government Assurances for the third time on 9 October 2021; he remained its member till 8 October 2022. On 13 September 2021, Nalin Kumar Kateel was appointed as a member of the Committee on Rural Development and Panchayati Raj for the third time. He was later appointed as a member of the Consultative Committee of the Ministry of Shipping.
A photo of Nalin Kumar Kateel taken while he was giving a speech in the Lok Sabha
Social Activism
Before becoming the BJP’s Karnataka state president in 2014, Nalin Kumar Kateel established the Kinnigoli Farmers Welfare Association to raise the voice in favour of the rights of the farmers. In 2019, Nalin Kumar organised the Kandadale Save Nature protest in Dakshina Kannada, which was aimed at dissuading the state government from chopping down the trees in the Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka for infrastructure projects. Thereafter, he founded Parisara Samithi and staged a protest at Kateelu, Karnataka, demanding a ban on selling alcohol in Kateelu. He has also helped the poor and the needy by providing them with free ambulance services and medicines under the Mathrubhumi Society at Gurupura Kaikamba, Karnataka. At Manjunath Nagar, Karnataka, Nalin Kumar has started numerous schools under the name Siddhi Vinayaka Seva Samithi for those who cannot afford education.
Controversies
Cases where Pending
- 1 charge related to Punishment for criminal intimidation (IPC Section-506)
- 1 charge related to Assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from discharge of his duty (IPC Section-353)
- 1 charge related to Punishment for Being a member of an unlawful assembly (IPC Section-143)
Cases where Convicted
- 1 charge related to Joining or continuing in unlawful assembly, knowing it has been commanded to disperse (IPC Section-145)
- 1 charge related to Punishment for Rioting (IPC Section-147)
- 1 charge related to Unlawful assembly (IPC Section-141)
- 1 charge related to Obstructing public servants in the discharge of public functions (IPC Section-186)
- 1 charge related to Disobedience to order duly promulgated by a public servant (IPC Section-188)
- 1 charge related to Public nuisance (IPC Section-268)
- 1 charge related to Every member of unlawful assembly guilty of an offence committed in prosecution of a common object (IPC Section-149)
Case filed for having an illegitimate relationship
In May 2014, Sathish Shetty, a man residing in Mangaluru, lodged an FIR against Nalin Kumar Kateel accusing him of having an extra-marital affair with his wife. In his complaint, Shetty claimed that Nalin wrongfully persuaded Shetty’s wife for filing a dowry harassment case against him. Later, the Mangaluru police filed several cases under criminal intimidation, conspiracy, and adultery against Nalin, Shetty’s wife, and Shetty’s brother-in-law. Nalin, however, rejected the allegations and termed it as a “political conspiracy against him.”
Drawing comparisons between Rajiv Gandhi, Nathuram Godse, and Ajmal Kasab
In 2019, Nalin Kumar Kateel posted a tweet in which he compared Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi with Nathuram Godse, the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi, and Ajmal Kasab, the 2008 Mumbai attacks terrorist. In his tweet, he called Rajiv a “gruesome murderer” and claimed that while Godse and Kasab had killed fewer people, Rajiv had killed more than 17,000 people. The tweet read,
Godse killed just one. Ajmal Kasab killed 72. Rajiv Gandhi killed 17,000. Now you tell us who is most gruesome murderer?”
He, however, deleted his tweet later and tendered an apology after receiving a backlash from the netizens. He said,
I have observed that people have been expressing their anguish over my tweets. I tender my apology if anyone is hurt by it. I have no intention of hurting anyone. I have withdrawn my tweet soon after realizing that it has hurt people. Let us end this discussion here.”
Many sources also reported that Nalin was reprimanded by Home Minister Amit Shah who asked him to refrain from making such public statements.
Giving inciting statements
In October 2016, a BJP worker named Karthik Raj was killed by unknown assailants, which led to an uproar in the Dakshina Kannada district. On 2 January 2017, during a political rally, Nalin gave a threatening statement in which he said “Dakshina Kannada would be set on fire if the murderers of BJP’s Karthik Raj are not nabbed within 10 days.” After the statement, the Karnataka police, on orders from the jurisdictional magistrate court, lodged an FIR against Kateel under section 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC.
Accusing the INC and Siddaramaiah of supporting terrorism
In March 2018, after Siddaramaiah called RSS, the BJP, and the Bajrang Dal Hindu extremist factions and equated them with the Taliban, Nalin called Siddaramiah a terrorist and claimed that during Siddaramaiah’s tenure as the Chief Minister of Karnataka, the maximum number of murders took place. Nalin also accused him of sanctioning the murder of Hindu activists. Nalin further took a jibe at the Indian National Congress (INC) and said that terrorism in India increased only because of the party and Indira Gandhi’s support to non-state actors like Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. While giving an interview, he talked about it and said,
In this country, the source of motivation for terrorism is the Congress; Indira Gandhi created terrorists through Bhindranwale (Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale), So, the Congress supported terrorism, Indira Gandhi created terrorists, but the chief minister of this state has exceeded all this and himself has become a terrorist. I will say that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is a terrorist.”
Making derogatory remarks about Rahul Gandhi
In 2021, after Karnataka Congress attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and called him “angootha chaap” (illiterate), Nalin Kumar Kateel called Rahul Gandhi, the ex-president of the INC, a drug addict and a drug peddler. He also took a jibe at Rahul and said that he should concentrate on handling the party rather than commenting on the Prime Minister of India. While giving an interview, he said,
Who is Rahul Gandhi? He is a drug peddler and an addict. I am not saying it. There has been a media report in this regard.”
In March 2023, while attending the BJP’s ‘Jana Sankalpa Yatra’ in Ramanagara, Karnataka, Nalin once again targeted Rahul Gandhi through his speech and said that Rahul did not get married as he was infertile. His statement received sharp criticism not only from the Congress but also from the ministers of the BJP. Kateel further targeted Siddaramaiah and criticised him for urging people to not get vaccinated during the COVID-19 pandemic. In his speech, he said,
What did Rahul Gandhi say? Rahul Gandhi and (former Karnataka CM) Siddaramaiah asked people not to take the COVID vaccine as they will not be able to produce children. But Rahul and Siddaramaiah secretly took the vaccine at night.”
Making controversial statements during the 2023 Karnataka Assembly polls
In January 2023, during the launch of the Booth Vijay Abhiyaan, Kateel gave a controversial statement in which he appreciated the Modi government’s decision to ban the Popular Front of India (PFI) and said that the development of education and infrastructure in the state came secondary and that the major issue was of “love jihad.” For his statement, Kateel was targeted by the opposition. Talking about it, he said,
So I told them not to talk about roads, gutters, drains and other small issues…. If the issue concerning your children’s lives — love jihad — has to be stopped, then we need the BJP (to form the government). Had the PFI not been banned, today we wouldn’t have BJP leaders Monappa Bhandary and Hari Krishna Bantwal (of Dakshina Kannada) on stage. MLA Vedavyas Kamath would not have been here. There would have only been a garland over their photos.”
In February 2023, while giving a speech at a rally at Yalaburga, Nalin Kumar Kateel hit the headlines after he asked the BJP supporters to kill anyone who supported Tipu Sultan, the ruler of Mysore. He also criticized Congress for allowing the celebrations of Tipu Sultan Jayanti in Karnataka and questioned the INC whether they considered Tipu more important than Savarkar. He further asked the attendees of the rally to chase away the supporters of Tipu Sultan. In his speech, he claimed that D. K. Shivakumar, Karnataka’s deputy CM, had a “soft spot” for the 2022 Mangaluru cooker blast accused Mohammed Shariq and even proclaimed that Shariq was wrongfully accused of the bombing. In his speech, he said,
Take oath whether you want Tipu Sultan’s children or the devotees of Lord Rama and Anjaneya in this state. I am asking you this question in the holy town of Anjaneya that those who love Tipu should not stay in this land. Only those who sing Rama Bhajan (devotional songs) should remain here.”
Salary
Nalin Kumar Kateel receives a salary of Rs. 1 lac + other allowances as a Member of the Parliament (MP).
Assets & Properties
Movable Assets
- Bank Deposits: Rs. 4,94,251
- LIC or other insurance Policies: Rs. 50,000
Immovable Assets
- Agricultural Land: Rs. 20,13,000
Note: The given estimates of movable and immovable assets are according to the year 2019. It excludes the assets owned by his wife.
Net Worth
Nalin Kumar Kateel’s net worth for the year 2019 was estimated to be Rs. 20,13,000. It excludes the net worth of his wife.
Facts/Trivia
- Nalin Kumar Kateel is a hodophile (one who likes to travel a lot) and has visited numerous countries.
- Nalin Kumar has established numerous cooperative societies and schools in Karnataka.
- Nalin Kumar has served as the organizing president of the Brahmakalashothsava Samithi at the Sri Durga Parameswari Temple and Paavanje Southraamani Gavaamayana Yaaga Samithi.
- In July 2022, Praveen Kumar Nettaru, a Zilla Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) committee member, was murdered in Bellare, Dakshina Kannada, which led to violent protests in the Dakshina Kannada district. Reportedly, Nalin Kumar Kateel faced the anguish of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) members who surrounded his vehicle in Dakshina Kannada and did not allow him to leave. As per sources, the members of BJYM were also angry with Kateel as he had not felicitated development in the district.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education