Ram Madhav
Ram Madhav | |
|---|---|
 | |
| State Incharge, Jammu and Kashmir | |
| In office 20 Aug 2024 – 1 October 2024 | |
| National General Secretary, Bharatiya Janata Party | |
| In office 2014–2020 | |
| President | Amit Shah J. P. Nadda |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ram Madhav[1] 22 August 1964 Amalapuram, Andhra Pradesh, India |
| Political party | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| Alma mater | University of Mysore |
| Occupation | Journalist, politician |
| Website | rammadhav |
Varanasi Ram Madhav (born 22 August 1964) is an Indian politician who served as the National General Secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party.[2][3] He is a member of the National Executive of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and has authored a few books. His latest is Uneasy Neighbours: India and China after Fifty Years of the War.[4][5][6]
Early life
[edit]Madhav was born in the East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh on 22 August 1964.[7] Primarily a student of engineering, he earned his Diploma in Electrical Engineering from Andhra Pradesh.[6] He also has a post-graduate degree in Political Science from the University of Mysore, Karnataka.[8]
Political career
[edit]Madhav's association with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) began during his teenage years. In 1981, he volunteered to become a full-time worker for the RSS and was subsequently assigned to various key positions within the organization.[9] He also served as the editor of Bharatiya Pragna, a monthly magazine published in English by Pragna Bharati,[8] and as the associate editor of Jagriti, a Telugu weekly.[10] Over a career spanning more than 20 years, Madhav worked as a journalist for RSS-sponsored publications and authored over twelve books.
Additionally, he serves as a member of the Board of Governors at India Foundation, a think tank based in New Delhi that focuses on the issues, challenges, and opportunities of Indian polity.[11] He is also a mentor at Vision India Foundation, a New Delhi-based organization dedicated to promoting public leadership among youth.[12][13]
Madhav was the national spokesperson for the RSS from 2003 to 2014. In 2014, he was seconded to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), where he was appointed as one of its national general secretaries.[9] During his tenure, Madhav is credited with playing a significant role in the rise of the BJP in North East India and in building alliances with regional parties.[14][15]
| External videos | |
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 "Shri Ram Madhav joins BJP in the presence of BJP President Shri Amit Shah - 10th July 2014" Bharatiya Janata Party on YouTube |
Personal views
[edit]Foreign policy
[edit]He has called for India to take a more "proactive role in the region" in order to check China's One Belt One Road Initiative.[16] He was involved in the BJP's entry into the International Democrat Union, a worldwide grouping of right of centre political parties.[17]
Reception
[edit]Mehdi Hasan's interview
[edit]During an appearance on the talk show Head to Head, hosted by Mehdi Hasan, Madhav made a comment referring to "your ISIS" in the context of a heated discussion on Hindu nationalism.[18] This phrase sparked controversy, with Madhav later explaining it as a "slip of the tongue" or cross-linguistic error and clarifying that it was a general figure of speech in Hindi, where the word "aapka" (your) is commonly used in such discussions and not meant to target any individual, including Hasan.[19][20]
It was pointed out by some that the comment, while unfortunate, was a typical expression in Hindi and did not carry the negative connotation it might appear to have in English. The phrase was not meant to target anyone specifically. However, Hasan's decision to amplify the incident by discussing it on social media was seen as unprofessional by some observers, as it played into the controversy rather than addressing the context of the remark.[21][22]
Biblography
[edit]- Madhav, Ram (2014). Uneasy Neighbours: India and China after 50 years of the war. New Delhi: Har-Anand Publications. ISBN 978-81-241-1788-0. OCLC 879321209.
- —————— (2020). Because India Comes First: Reflections on Nationalism, Identity and Culture. Chennai: Westland Books. ISBN 978-93-896-4876-8. OCLC 1238089997.
- —————— (2021). The Hindutva Paradigm: Integral Humanism and Quest for a Non-Western Worldview. Chennai: Westland Books. ISBN 978-93-912-3408-9. OCLC 1285771539.
- —————— (2022). Partitioned Freedom. New Delhi: Prabhat Prakashan. ISBN 978-93-945-3478-0. OCLC 1431883292.
- —————— (2024). The Indian Reality: Changing Narratives, Shifting Perceptions. New Delhi: Rupa Publications. ISBN 978-81-969-1134-8. OCLC 1449673267.
References
[edit]- ^ "Kakinada: Leaders Await Results for Strengthening Party". Deccan Chronicle. 28 April 2019. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
- ^ Administrator. "National Office Bearers". bjp.org. Archived from the original on 22 October 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
- ^ "Amit Shah: Congress will have to give ads to find candidates". IndiaToday.in. 16 August 2014. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
- ^ "Ram Madhav on Twitter". Twitter.
- ^ "Ram Madhav's new book "Uneasy Neighbours: India and China after Fifty Years of the War"". samvada.org. 20 February 2014. Archived from the original on 16 November 2017. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
- ^ a b "About". rammadhav.in.
- ^ "Ram Madhav]: BJP leader Ram Madhav's mother passes away | India News". The Times of India. 16 May 2018.
- ^ a b "The Pracharak Is Going Places". outlookindia.com. 8 December 2014. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
- ^ a b "RSS leader Ram Madhav to join BJP". The Times of India. 7 July 2014.
- ^ "Ram Madhav is emerging as BJP's firefighter". SundayGuardianLive. 26 September 2016. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
- ^ "President for RSS think-tank meet". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 26 December 2016. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
- ^ "Team". 19 December 2014. Archived from the original on 22 September 2020. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
- ^ "Policy BootCamp 2019: Sh. Ram Madhav on "Ideas for Transforming India"". YouTube. 28 June 2019. Archived from the original on 5 December 2021.
- ^ SHANKER ARNIMESH (26 September 2019). "Where is Ram Madhav — the RSS pracharak who was Modi's Man Friday not long ago". theprint.in. ThePrint. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
- ^ "Ram Madhav's appointment 'political pragmatism' for BJP before J&K polls, marks RSS's return to helm". ThePrint. 22 August 2024.
- ^ "India needs to focus eastward: Ram Madhav". The Hindu. 17 January 2018.
The BJP leader also called for support for India's "proactive role in the region", saying New Delhi would not be a "spectator" as China pushed its Belt and Road initiative forward. He called the project a "Neo-Marshall plan" in a veiled reference to the carving up of post-war Europe as akin to Chinese infrastructure projects in Asia and Africa.
- ^ Gyan Varma (27 February 2016). "BJP joins International Democratic Union". livemint.com. Live Mint. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
- ^ "Transcript: Ram Madhav on Hindu nationalism". Al Jazeera. 7 June 2016. Archived from the original on 23 February 2020. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
- ^ FP Staff (28 December 2015). "We'll worry about Kashmir, you worry about 'your' ISIS: BJP's Ram Madhav tells Al Jazeera journo". Firstpost. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
- ^ Singh, Sarabjeet (2 January 2016). "Why I think Mehdi Hasan's interview with Ram Madhav was flirting with bias". DailyO. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
- ^ Web Desk, Express (28 December 2015). "After Ram Madhav interview, talk show host writes: 'Hindu nationalist trolls' tried to paint me as ISIS supporter". The Indian Express. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
- ^ Tiwari, Ambesh (28 December 2015). "In defence of Ram Madhav: An Oxford student witnessed the interview and says the trolls are wrong". Newslaundry. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
Further reading
[edit]- Prashant Jha (16 October 2013). "Sangh's flexibility mantra to rope in youth". The Hindu. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
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