Pralhad Joshi, an RSS loyalist from Karnataka, has been inducted into the cabinet for the first time in the second Narendra Modi-led government. He will be heading Ministry for Parliamentary Affairs, Coal and Mines.
The 57-year-old is a four-time MP from Dharwad constituency in Karnataka. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, he won against Congress’ Vinay Kulkarni by a margin of over 1 lakh votes.
He shot to fame in 1994 when he, as a part of the Uma Bharati-led group, hoisted the national flag at Idgah Maidan in Hubli, against prohibitory orders. The place belonged to a minority educational institution.
He has held several portfolios, including state party president, district president of Dharwad and several standing committees on railways, chemical and fertilizers, transport and culture and consultative committee on finance. Joshi has also addressed the General Assembly in the United Nations in 2008 on empowerment of women.
According to Arvind Bellad, BJP MLA representing Hubli-Dharwad West constituency, Joshi was instrumental in bringing several key projects to the constituency. This includes getting Indian Institute of Technology to Dharwad and sourcing huge funding for Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences, Hubli from the Centre.
Hubli was one of the first regions in Karnataka to be selected under UDAN for regional airport development. Currently, there are 22 flights from Hubli.
"It is because of these accomplishments that he was chosen to be a cabinet minister instead of a senior BJP leader," Bellad added.
After the announcement, the minister said in a tweet, “The Ministry of Parliamentary affairs is one of the key Ministries of the Government. The task of efficiently handling diverse and enormous parliamentary work on behalf of the Government in the Parliament has been assigned to my ministry. I will do my best by taking full confidence of all MPs.”
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