Manish Tewari

For Bollywood film director, see Manish Tiwary.
Manish Tewari
Minister of Information and Broadcasting
Assumed office
28 October 2012 – 26 May 2014
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
Preceded by Ambika Soni
Succeeded by Prakash Javdekar
Member of Parliament
In office
2009
Preceded by Sharanjit Singh Dhillon
Constituency Ludhiana
President Indian Youth Congress
In office
1998–2000
Preceded by Satyajit D. Gaekwad
Succeeded by Randeep Surjewala
President NSUI
In office
1986–1993
Preceded by Mukul Wasnik
Succeeded by Saleem Ahmad
Personal details
Born (1965-12-08) 8 December 1965[1]
Political party Indian National Congress
Spouse(s) Naaznin B. Shafa
As of 19 June, 2009

Manish Tewari is an Indian politician, who was Union Minister of State (Independent charge), Minister of Information and Broadcasting and a Member of Parliament from Ludhiana. He is a lawyer by qualification and has practised in the Supreme Court of India as well as the Delhi High Court.

Family

Manish Tewari comes from a political family in Punjab. His father Dr. V.N. Tiwari, a Professor, Department of Punjabi, at Punjab University, has written more than 40 books in Punjabi. His father was killed by militants in 1984 at Sector 24, Chandigarh during a morning walk, a few months before Operation Blue Star. Tewari's maternal grandfather, Sardar Tirath Singh too was an advocate and Minister in the Congress Government in Punjab. His mother Dr. Amrit Kaur Tewari is a Dentist who worked as Professor and Head, Oral Health Sciences Center, and Dean at Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh.He is married to Naaznin Shafa, a Parsi, and they have a daughter.[2]

Career

Tewari was the president of National Students Union of India 1989 and Indian Youth Congress(I) from 1998 to 2000. He lost the 2004 Lok sabha elections but successfully contested the 2009 Lok Sabha elections by defeating Shiromani Akali Dal's candidate Gurcharan Singh Galib by a margin of over 100,000 votes. He was Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting. Tewari, an advocate by profession, presently practices in the Supreme Court of India and the High Courts of Delhi as well as Punjab and Haryana.

As a member of parliament he has been active in drafting a Private member's Bill to bring the intelligence agencies under parliamentary oversight.[3] Educational Qualifications B.A. (Hons.) Economics, LL.B. Educated at Punjab University, Chandigarh and University of Delhi, Delhi Profession Advocate While he was scheduled to contest polls from his constituency Ludhiana, in March 2014 he was admitted to hospital for heart ailment.[4] Days later he expressed his unwillingness to contest parliamentary elections owing to his ill health. He has been replaced by Ravneet Singh Bittu, the grandson of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh.[5]

Controversies

Defamation of Anna Hazare

In 2012 speaking on the anti-corruption movement led by veteran social activist Anna Hazare, he alleged:

"He himself is involved in several cases of corruption. This has been proved by the apex court appointed Justice Sawant Commission. The commission found that Anna runs several NGOs and money was spent illegally for his birthday celebration,"[6]

He alleged that the so-called "Team Anna" is composed of "armchair fascists, overground Maoists, closet anarchists funded by invisible donors,".[7] Hazare sent a legal notice to Tewari for defamation stating that Tewari had committed an offence under sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code and called him to "apologise with written application by him and on behalf of his party, the (Indian National Congress), undertaking not to commit such false imputations and defamatory statements about Hazare in future".[8] Later Tewari regretted his statement stating that much is said in political debate.[9][10]

References

  1. "Manish Tewari Biography". NRIInternet.com. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
  2. "Biodata of manish Tiwari, Lok Sabha". Parliament of India. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
  3. "Indian spy agencies to come under parliament oversight?". The Economic Times. 14 August 2011. Archived from the original on 20 April 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  4. http://indianexpress.com/article/india/politics/manish-tewari-unlikely-to-contest-lok-sabha-polls/
  5. http://indianexpress.com/article/india/politics/manish-tewari-not-to-contest-lok-sabha-polls/
  6. http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/cong-fires-salvo-at-anna-says-team-anna-is-corrupt/1/148046.html
  7. http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/manish-tewari-abandoned-congress-anna-hazare-corrupt/1/148500.html
  8. "Anna Hazare sends legal notice to Tewari". The Economic Times. Press Trust of India. 8 September 2011. Retrieved 10 May 2013.
  9. "Manish Tiwari says sorry to Anna". Manish Tiwari says sorry to Anna. Zee News. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
  10. "Lokpal Bill row: Manish Tewari apologises to Anna". Lokpal Bill row: Manish Tewari apologises to Anna. NDTV. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
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