Maneka Gandhi Biography: Maneka Sanjay Gandhi (born August 26, 1956) is an Indian politician, animal rights activist, and environmentalist. She is a member of the Lok Sabha, the Indian parliament’s lower chamber, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). She is the widow of Sanjay Gandhi, an Indian politician. She has served as a minister in four governments, most recently from May 2014 to May 2019 in the administration of Narendra Modi.
She has also written a number of books on etymology, law, and animal welfare.
Maneka Gandhi Biography
| Name: | Maneka Sanjay Gandhi |
| Birth Date: | August 26, 1956 |
| Place Of Birth: | Delhi |
| Age: | 66 |
Early existence and profession
Maneka Anand was born to a Sikh household on 26 August 1956 in Delhi, India. Her father was Lt. Col. Tarlochan Singh Anand, an officer in the Indian Army, and her mother was Amardeep Kaur Anand, the daughter of Sir Datar Singh. She attended The Lawrence School, Sanawar and Lady Shri Ram College for Women afterwards. She subsequently studied German at New Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University.
After Sanjay’s passing, Maneka’s relationship with Indira Gandhi progressively deteriorated, and they frequently argued. Maneka was ultimately evicted from the residence of the prime minister at 1 Safdarjung Road after a dispute with Indira. Together with Akbar Ahmad, she founded the Rashtriya Sanjay Manch on 3 April 1983. The concentration of the party was primarily on youth empowerment and employment. It won four out of five seats in the Andhra Pradesh elections.
In recognition of her husband’s Zoroastrian faith, Gandhi published The Complete Book of Muslim and Parsi Names.
She subsequently published The Penguin Book of Hindu Boys’ Names.
Maneka Gandhi Profession
Gandhi ran for the Amethi constituency in Uttar Pradesh during the 1984 Lok Sabha elections but lost to Rajiv Gandhi. She joined V. P. Singh’s Janata Dal Party in 1988 and rose to the position of General Secretary. Gandhi gained her first election to Parliament in the Indian general election of 1989 and was appointed Minister of State for the Environment.
Gandhi is a prominent environmentalist and advocate for animal rights in India. She has received international honours and recognition. In 1995, she was appointed president of the Committee for the Purpose of Control and Supervision of Animal Experiments (CPCSEA). Under her direction, members of the CPCSEA conducted unannounced inspections of laboratories conducting animal-based scientific research.
Gandhi protested the 1996 opening of India’s first McDonald’s establishment. She stated that “we don’t need cow killers in India” to justify her protest.
Gandhi has filed Public Interest Litigation that has resulted in the replacement of the municipal killing of stray canines with a sterilisation programme (Animal Birth Control programmes, commonly abbreviated as ABCs), the unregulated sale of airguns, and the prohibition of mobile or travelling zoos. She is the current chairperson of the International Energy Globe Foundation’s Jury, which meets annually in Austria to select the year’s finest environmental innovations. She is a member of the Eurosolar Board and the Germany-based Wuppertal Institute.
People for Animals was founded by Gandhi in 1992 and is the largest animal rights/welfare organisation in India. Also, a patron of International Animal Rescue is Gandhi. While she is not vegan herself, she has advocated for veganism for ethical and health reasons. She also hosted the weekly television programme Heads and Tails, which highlighted the suffering caused by the commercial exploitation of animals. She has also written a book with the same name. Her other works dealt with Indian personal names. She is a member of the ensemble for the documentary A Delicate Balance.
Maneka Gandhi Personal Life
Maneka and Sanjay Gandhi first met in 1973 at a cocktail party given by her uncle, Major-General Kapur, to celebrate his son’s upcoming wedding. On September 23, 1974, Maneka wed Gandhi, the son of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, one year later.
During the Emergency of 1975–1977, Sanjay’s political career flourished, and Maneka was often seen accompanying him on his campaign excursions. During the Emergency, it is commonly believed that Sanjay had complete control over his mother (Indira) and that the PMH (Prime Minister House) rather than the PMO (Prime Minister Office) ran the government.
Maneka Gandhi founded the news magazine Surya, which subsequently played a crucial role in promoting the Congress party following its defeat in the 1977 election due to the Emergency.
Gandhi fought in court to prevent the government in power at the time from seizing her passport and won a landmark decision on personal freedom. In the case of Maneka Gandhi v. Union of India[9], the court determined that “democracy is fundamentally based on free debate and open discussion, as this is the only check on government action in a democratic system.”
In 1980, Gandhi gave birth to a son named Feroze, after his ancestor on his father’s side. Her mother-in-law attached the name Varun to her son’s name. Gandhi was only 23 years old and her son was only 100 days old when her husband perished in an aeroplane accident.
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