Niranjan Jyoti (born 1 March 1967), more commonly known as ''

Sadhvi ''Sadhu'' ( sa, साधु, IAST: ' (male), ''sādhvī'' or ''sādhvīne'' (female)), also spelled ''saddhu'', is a religious ascetic, mendicant or any holy person in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism who has renounced the worldly life. The ...

Niranjan Jyoti'', is an Indian politician belonging to

Bharatiya Janata Party The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; ; ) is a political party in India, and one of the two major Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. Since 2014, it has been the ruling political party in India under Narendra Modi ...

(BJP). She was appointed the

Minister of State Minister of State is a title borne by politicians in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a Minister of State is a Junior Minister of government, who is assigned to assist a specific Cabinet Minister. In o ...

for Food Processing Industries in November 2014. On 30 May 2019, she was appointed

Minister of state Minister of State is a title borne by politicians in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a Minister of State is a Junior Minister of government, who is assigned to assist a specific Cabinet Minister. In o ...

in the

Ministry of Rural Development Ministry of Rural Development may refer to: * Ministry of Rural Development (Cambodia) * Ministry of Rural Development (Hungary) * Ministry of Rural Development (India) * Ministry of Rural Development (Malaysia) Ministry of Rural Development may r ...

in the

Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (; born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician serving as the 14th and current Prime Minister of India since 2014. Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Parliament from ...

2019 Cabinet. She represents the Fatehpur constituency,

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

, in the

Lok Sabha The Lok Sabha, constitutionally the House of the People, is the lower house of India's bicameral Parliament, with the upper house being the Rajya Sabha. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by an adult universal suffrage and a first-past ...

, after winning in the 2014 general election. She also represents the Hamirpur constituency in the

Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly The Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly (Hindi: ''Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha'') is the lower house of the bicameral legislature of Uttar Pradesh. There are 403 seats in the house filled by direct election using a single-member first-past-the-p ...

after winning in the 2012 election.

Life and career

Niranjan Jyoti was born on 1 March 1967 in the village of Patewra, in Hamirpur district, Uttar Pradesh. Her father was Achyutanand and mother was Shiv Kali Devi. She was born in a

Nishad The Nishad are a Hindu caste, found in the Indian states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. In Bihar, the term refers to a group of around 20 communities whose traditional occupations centred on rivers, such as the Mallah. There have been demands for ...

-caste family. On 14 June 2014, one man called Bhanu Patel and his three accomplices fired at Jyoti as she was returning from a function in Avas Vikas Colony,

Lucknow Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and division ...

. She escaped unhurt but her bodyguard was injured. In May 2019, Jyoti became Minister of State for

Rural Development Rural development is the process of improving the quality life and economic well-being of people living in rural areas, often relatively isolated and sparsely populated areas. Rural development has traditionally centered on the exploitation of ...

Personal views and controversies

On 1 December 2014, she stated at a public rally, "It is you whom must decide whether the government in Delhi will be run by the sons of

Rama Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular '' avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Bein ...

(raamzaade) or by bastards (haraamzaade)" referring to the opposition leader. The statement caused an uproar in the

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

. She subsequently expressed regret over her statements and offered to apologize.

References

External links

Official biographical sketch in Parliament of India website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jyoti, Niranjan People from Fatehpur district India MPs 2014–2019 Lok Sabha members from Uttar Pradesh Living people Women in Uttar Pradesh politics Members of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly Bharatiya Janata Party politicians from Uttar Pradesh Narendra Modi ministry 21st-century Indian women politicians 21st-century Indian politicians 1967 births Women union ministers of state of India People from Hamirpur, Uttar Pradesh India MPs 2019–present