Ambika Soni (born 13 November 1942) is an Indian politician in the Indian National Congress. She has been Minister of Information and Broadcasting. She was a Member of Parliament representing the state of Punjab in the Rajya Sabha.
Born in Lahore in undivided Punjab to Nakul Sen Wadhwa, an Indian Civil Service officer and Lt. Governor of Goa in 1942.[1] Her mother, Indu Wadhwa, was a home-maker. The family was Hindu, but converted to Christianity.
Ambika studied at Welham Girls School, New Delhi and did her M.A. (Hons.) from Indraprastha College, Delhi University, followed by Diploma Superiore en Langue Francaise from Alliance Francaise, Bangkok and Post-Graduate Diploma in Spanish Art and Literature from University of Havana, Cuba.[2]
In 1961, aged 19, Ambika married Uday Soni, an Indian Foreign Service officer.
Ambika Soni began her political career in 1969 when she was co-opted into the Congress Party by Indira Gandhi at the time of the Party split in 1969. Soni was an old family friend of Gandhi from the time when her father was posted as District collectorofAmritsar during the Partition of India and worked very closely with Jawaharlal Nehru.[3] In 1975 she was elected as the president of the Indian Youth Congress and worked closely with Sanjay Gandhi.[1] In 1998, she became the president of All India Mahila Congress. From 1999 - 2006 she was General Secretary of All India Congress Committee.
| Jan. 2000 - Feb. 2004 and Aug. 2004 - Jan. 2006 | Member, Committee on Public Undertakings |
| Jan. 2000 - Feb. 2004 | Member, Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Civil Aviation |
| Feb. 2000 - 2001 | Member, Committee on Defence |
| May 2000 - June 2003 | Member, House Committee |
| Jan. 2002 - Dec. 2003 | Member, Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture |
| Jan. 2003 - Feb. 2004 | Member, Committee on Home Affairs |
| Aug. 2004 - Jan. 2006 | Member, Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture |
| Oct. 2004 - Jan. 2006 | Member, Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Environment and Forests |
| March 2005 - Jan. 2006 | Member, Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh |
| Dec. 2012 - May 2014 | Member, Committee on External Affairs |
| Dec. 2012 - May 2014 | Member, Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Defence |
| May 2013 - May 2014 | Member, Committee on Public Accounts |
| Sept. 2014 - May 2019 | Member, Committee on Defence |
| July 2018 - Feb. 2019 | Member, Select Committee of Rajya Sabha on the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (Amendment) Bill, 2018 |
| July 2019 onwards | Member, Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh |
| Sept. 2019 onwards | Member, Committee on Finance |
| Oct. 2019 onwards | Member, Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Culture and Tourism |
| Date | Office held | Additional Info | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 29 January 2006 - 22 May 2009 | Minister of Tourism and Minister of Culture | First Manmohan Singh ministry | |
| 22 May 2009 - 27 October 2012 | Minister of Information and Broadcasting | Second Manmohan Singh ministry | [4] |
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