He is the Executive Director of Dale Carnegie India Training Program, an author, speaker and former national spokesperson for the Indian National Congress (INC) with extensive experience in various fields including entrepreneurship, sales management and political communication.
Wiki/Biography
Sanjay Jha was born in Gangtok, Sikkim, but his ancestors were from Bihar. He completed his schooling from Episcopal School, Pune in 1974. Sanjay was an all-rounder since his school days. Not only was he good at sports, but he also excelled in studies and won several prizes and awards for his academic excellence and proficiency. In 1980, he graduated with honors in Economics from Fergusson College, Pune. While studying at Fergusson College, Sanjay was also elected as the president of the Drama Society. He did his postgraduate degree in Economics from Gokhale School of Political Science and Economics, University of Pune and then his PhD in Economics from Patna University. He also did his MBA in Human Resources from XLRI – Xavier Institute of Management, Jamshedpur in 1986 and subsequently entered the corporate world and later politics.
family
Parents and siblings
His father, Diwakar Jha, is a professor and his elder brother, Vibhuti Jha, is the head of Ashcroft Sullivan & Jha.
Sanjay Jha (left) and his elder brother Vibhuti Jha
Wife and children
Sanjay Jha’s wife is Pallavi Jha, Chairman and Managing Director of Walchand PeopleFirst Ltd.
Sanjay Jha and his wife
The couple has two daughters, Maithili Jha and Mohini Jha.
Corporate Career
Sanjay Jha started his career in the sales department of Bharat Petroleum where he worked for two years. He worked as a vice president at Alliance Capital, a mutual fund company, from 1993 to 1996. He then worked as a senior vice president at ITC Threadneedle plc, another mutual fund company, for a year. While at the company, he partnered with BAT plc in London to set up a co-investment mutual fund company. His interest in sports led him to launch CricketNext.com, a cricket news portal, in 2000. The company was later sold to Network 18 Media Group in 2012. In 2003, he joined Dale Carnegie, a personal and professional training platform, as an executive director for its India business. He was responsible for the company’s business strategy, market development, building reputational capital, and achieving financial goals and targets.
Political career
Sanjay Jha is a Gandhian-Nehruist idealist who joined the Indian National Congress in 2012. From 2013 to 2020, he served as the national spokesperson for the Indian National Congress (INC) and represented the party in various television debates and panel discussions.
In June 2020, Sanjay was removed as the national spokesperson of the Indian National Congress a few days after he published an opinion piece in the English daily Times of India criticizing the Indian National Congress leadership and internal democracy.
INC Bulletin
Important Notice pic.twitter.com/fnXef53B7A
β INC Sandesh (@INCSandesh) June 17, 2020
He also served as the president of the All India Professionals Congress (Maharashtra) for three years, resigning from the post in July 2020.
I have submitted my resignation as the chairman of Maharashtra AlPC.
My political outspokenness conflicts with my official position. I am glad that my signature #AIPCInteraction Congress is using this brand. π@ShashiTharoor It’s been a pleasure working with you. Thank you everyone!
β Sanjay Jha (@JhaSanjay) July 3, 2020
On July 14, 2020, he was suspended from the grassroots membership of the Indian National Congress (INC) for “anti-party activities” and “violation of discipline”.
Mr. Sanjay Jha was suspended with immediate effect by the Congress party for anti-party activities and violation of discipline. pic.twitter.com/TaT0gWbCc7
β Maharashtra Congress Party (@INCMaharashtra) July 14, 2020
dispute
Sanjay Jha has been surrounded by controversies, most of which are due to his political posts on social media. Here are some of them.
- On 25 April 2014, Sanjay Jha tweeted that Subramanian Swamy was a CIA agent after WikiLeaks revealed that Swamy had reported Indira Gandhi’s deteriorating health to US diplomats in 1977. Swamy refuted Jha’s allegations and WikiLeaks’ coverage of him and filed a defamation suit of Rs 3 crore against Sanjay Jha. In response to Swamy’s lawsuit, Jha apologized unconditionally to Swamy, saying that Swamy was a CIA agent but had no valid evidence to support his claim.
- In November 2017, Jha retweeted a Twitter post containing a morphed photo of a policeman kneeling before BJP leader Rajnath Singh. After being heavily bashed on the internet, Jha deleted the post and apologized.
- On March 28, 2019, Sanjay Jha posted a derogatory tweet against BJP leader Narendra Modi. The post attracted widespread criticism and Sanjay Jha faced a backlash online for taking the sexiest jibe at Narendra Modi.
He has white hair. But sounds more like a blonde.
β Sanjay Jha (@JhaSanjay) March 28, 2019
publication
- 11 Triumphs, Trials and Turmoil: Indian Cricket, 2003-2010 This book showcases some of the greatest events in the game of cricket (between 2003 and 2010) including spectacular victories, heartbreaking defeats, controversies, the wicked politics of the sport, Indiaβs triumph in the 2007 T20 World Cup and the rise of the IPL.
Cover of Sanjay Jha’s book 11 Triumphs, Tests and Turmoil: Indian Cricket, 2003-2010
- Superstar Syndrome (The Birth of a Champion) is a book co-authored by Dr. Myra S. White, a professor at Harvard Medical School, and Sanjay Jha. It deeply analyzes, explains and verifies the qualities that almost every successful person possesses from all aspects.
Cover of “Superstar Syndrome” by Dr. Myra S. White and Sanjay Jha
- The Big Collapse: India After 2014In 2014, the BJP government came to power at the Centre with an overwhelming majority. This book describes the new political reality in India and how, in Sanjay’s view, India has changed significantly with the BJP’s governance and has rapidly moved away from Nehru’s idea of ββa secular, liberal and scientific India. The book touches on many unpleasant things, including India’s shrinking economic growth, public institutions such as the courts and media bowing before the BJP, and minorities (mainly Muslims) being constantly reminded of their irrelevance in India. While all this was happening, the Indian National Congress, India’s oldest political party, had lost its opposition capabilities and was uncertain about its future; however, Sanjay remained hopeful and believed that the Congress would rise again and would bring about progressive political changes that would eventually revitalize India.
Cover of The Big Crash: India after 2014 by Sanjay Jha
Sanjay is the author of three books and a regular contributor to several renowned media outlets including The Huffington Post, National Herald and India Today Group’s Daily O.
Facts/Trivia
- Sanjay was interested in theatre during his college years. He also headed the college theatre group during and after his college graduation.
- Apart from his career in the corporate world, Sanjay has also transformed himself into a motivational speaker. He is known for his high-quality training and leadership presentations.
Sanjay Jha addresses delegates at the 4th VHNUM Conference
- Even after being removed as the National Spokesperson of the Congress Party, Gandhian-Nehruist idealist Sanjay Jha still calls himself a born Congressman. According to Sanjay Jha, his commitment to the Congress Party from the very beginning was the fundamental ideology of the party.
My loyalty is to the ideology of the Congress Party and not to any individual or family.
I remain a Gandhian-Nehru idealist (a vanishing group in the Congress party). I will continue to raise issues that are crucial to the revival of my party.
The battle has just begun.
β Sanjay Jha (@JhaSanjay) July 15, 2020
- Sanjay Jha is a sportsman who is often found indulging in various sports. He is a good tennis player.
Sanjay Jha poses with his runner-up trophy at the 2019 Wellington Club Memorial Tennis Tournament
- He loves dogs very much and often posts cute photos of him and his dogs on social media.
Sanjay Jha and his dog Miso
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education