Mallikarjun Kharge

M. Mallikarjun Kharge ( Mapanna Mallikarjun Kharge; Kannada : ಮಲ್ಲಿಕಾರ್ಜುನ ಖರ್ಗೆ ; born July 21, 1942 in Varavatti , Bidar district , Karnataka ) is an Indian politician ( Congress Party ). From 2009 to 2014 he was Minister in the Manmohan Singh II Cabinet , initially as Minister for Labor and Employment, and from 2013 as Minister of Railways. Previously, he held various ministerial offices in his home state of Karnataka.

biography

Mallikarjun Kharge was born on July 21, 1942 in the village of Varavatti in the Bidar district in the north of what is now the state of Karnataka. He comes from a family of Marathi- speaking Dalits (casteless people). Like many Marathi-speaking Dalits, Kharge is committed to Buddhism in the tradition of the social reformer BR Ambedkar . He is married and has five children.

Kharge completed his education with a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws at colleges in Gulbarga . After graduating, he worked as a lawyer. Kharge's political career in the Congress Party began in 1969 as chairman of the Congress Committee in the city of Gulbarga. From 1972 to 2009 he was a member of the Karnataka Lower House , the Karnataka Legislative Assembly . He defended his constituency in state elections nine times in a row. During his time in state politics, Kharge held various ministerial offices in several of Karnataka's Congress-led governments: from 1976 to 1978 he was Minister of State for Primary and Secondary Education, in 1979 he was Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj , and from 1980 to 1983 he was Minister Office of Finance Minister. From 1990 to 1992 he was again Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, from 1992 to 1994 Minister for Cooperation and Medium-sized and Large Enterprises, from 1999 to 2004 Minister for Interior, Infrastructure and Irrigation and from 2004 to 2006 Minister for Water Resources and Transport. He was also opposition leader from 1996 to 1999 and from 2008 to 2009 .

Kharge was three times candidates for the post of Chief Minister (heads of government) of Karnataka, but missed the target each time: After the 2004 election, he was under discussion as the new Chief Minister, ultimately the coalition partner of the Congress party, Janata Dal (Secular) (JD (S)), but by the fact that instead of Kharge N. Dharam Singh took over the office. In the run-up to the 2008 election, Kharge's claim to leadership in his party was undisputed, but the Congress Party lost the election to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). After the 2013 election, the Congress Party returned to power in Karnataka, but Kharge was unable to prevail against his party rival Siddaramaiah in the struggle for the post of Chief Minister .

In 2009 , Kharge took part in the elections for Lok Sabha , the lower house of the all-India parliament, and won the Gulbarga constituency . After the election, he was appointed Minister of Labor and Employment in the Manmohan Singh government. In the course of restructuring the cabinet, he moved to the office of railway minister in June 2013. In January 2014, Kharge also took over provisional management of the Ministry for Social Justice and Participation. In the 2014 general election , the Congress government was voted out again. Despite the country-wide catastrophic performance of the Congress party, Kharge was able to defend his constituency and moved again as a member of the Lok Sabha.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ The Hindu, May 13, 2013: "Kharge third time unlucky".
2. ^ The Hindu, June 18, 2013: "Railways back in Karnataka's kitty".
3. ↑ Hindustan Times, January 29, 2014: "Kumari Selja resigns as minister, set to enter RS".

Web links

• Profile Mallikarjun Kharges on the Lok Sabha website