Ram Naik (born 17 April 1934) is a veteran Indian politician from the Bharatiya Janata Party,[2] served as the 19th Governor of Uttar Pradesh.[3][4]
Ram Naik
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| 19th Governor of Uttar Pradesh | |
| In office 22 July 2014 – 28 July 2019 | |
| Chief Minister | Akhilesh Yadav Yogi Adityanath |
| Preceded by | Aziz Qureshi (Acting) |
| Succeeded by | Anandiben Patel |
| Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha | |
| In office 1989–2004 | |
| Preceded by | Anoopchand Shah |
| Succeeded by | Govinda Ahuja |
| Constituency | Mumbai North |
| Minister of Railways | |
| In office 6 August 1999 (1999-08-06) – 12 October 1999 (1999-10-12) | |
| Prime Minister | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
| Preceded by | Nitish Kumar |
| Succeeded by | Mamata Banerjee |
| Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas | |
| In office 1999–2004 | |
| Prime Minister | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
| Succeeded by | Mani Shankar Aiyar |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1934-04-16) 16 April 1934 (age 90) Sangli, Bombay Presidency, British India |
| Political party | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| Spouse | Kunda Naik |
| Children | 2 daughters |
| Profession | Politician[1] |
| Awards | Padma Bhushan (2024) |
| Website | www |
Source: [1] | |
Ram Naik was a member of the 13th Lok Sabha and was Minister of Oil and Natural Gas in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee cabinet (1999–2004). He was instrumental in introducing Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme. He was the BJP candidate for elections to the 14th Lok Sabha representing Mumbai North, but lost to famous Bollywood actor Govinda, an INC candidate from Virar.
ARashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh volunteer since childhood,[5] he holds a law degree.[6] He started his political career with the Bharatiya Jana Sangh in 1964 and was involved in organizing a group of rail commuters in Mumbai.[3] He represented Borivali in the state assembly in 1978 and was re-elected twice,[6] before becoming Minister of State for Railways in 1998, when he was influential in forming the Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation.
In 2004 he published a statement in which he demanded apology from the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and chairwoman Sonia Gandhi for removal of quotes from statues dedicated to the Indian revolutionaries, such as Subhas Chandra Bose, Madan Lal Dhingra, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Bhagat Singh, and Bahadur Shah Zafar.[7]
Ram Naik announced in September 2013 that he will not contest the 2014 Lok Sabha Polls.[8] On 14 July 2014 he was named as the Governor of Uttar Pradesh.[4]
Within a few months of his being appointed governor, he stated that "The Ram Temple should be built as soon as possible, this is what the people of this country want and their wishes should be fulfilled."[9] The theme was immediately backed up by Hindutva groups.[10]
Subsequently, his Hindutva remarks seem to have been reined in[11][12]byNarendra Modi.
He was born in Sangli districtofMaharashtra state. He married Kunda Naik on 17 May 1960 and has two daughters.
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| Lok Sabha | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament for Mumbai North 1989–2004 |
Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by
|
Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas 1999–2004 |
Succeeded by |
| Preceded by
Aziz Qureshi |
Governor of Uttar Pradesh 22 July 2014 – 28 July 2019 |
Succeeded by |
