Shantaram Laxman Naik (12 April 1946 – 9 June 2018) was an Indian politician from

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British E ...

party and a former Member of the

Parliament of India The Parliament of India ( IAST: ) is the supreme legislative body of the Republic of India. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the president of India and two houses: the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and the Lok Sabha (House of the ...

representing

Goa Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...

in the

Rajya Sabha The Rajya Sabha, constitutionally the Council of States, is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of India. , it has a maximum membership of 245, of which 233 are elected by the legislatures of the states and union territories using si ...

, the upper house of the

Indian Parliament The Parliament of India ( IAST: ) is the supreme legislative body of the Republic of India. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the president of India and two houses: the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and the Lok Sabha (House of the ...

. He was the President of the Goa Pradesh Congress Committee and the whip of the

in the

Early life and personal background

Shantaram Naik was born on 12 April 1946 to Laxman and Sita Naik in

Cuncolim Cuncolim is a town in South Goa district in the state of Goa, India. Etymology The name 'Cuncolim' is derived from the fact that the village was known as 'Kumkumahalli', the place where '' kumkuma '' (vermilion) is produced. Geography Cun ...

village in then Portuguese India. He was initiated into politics as a student during the 1967 Assembly elections when he started putting up election campaign posters of the

in public places. He pursued a

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

degree from the

Parvatibai Chowgule College Parvatibai Chowgule College of Arts & Science is Goa's first and only autonomous college with NAAC A+ Grade college based in the South Goa district Headquarters of Margao, on the west coast of India. History Shri.Vishwasraw.D.Chowgule, an ...

(then affiliated to the

University of Mumbai The University of Mumbai is a collegiate, state-owned, public research university in Mumbai. The University of Mumbai is one of the largest universities in the world. , the university had 711 affiliated colleges. Ratan Tata is the appointed h ...

and obtained a

LL.B Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

. degree from the Siddharth College of Law in

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...

. Naik's participation in active politics started in 1972 and he started his

law practice In its most general sense, the practice of law involves giving legal advice to clients, drafting legal documents for clients, and representing clients in legal negotiations and court proceedings such as lawsuits, and is applied to the professi ...

the same year. He was an

agriculturist An agriculturist, agriculturalist, agrologist, or agronomist (abbreviated as agr.), is a professional in the science, practice, and management of agriculture and agribusiness. It is a regulated profession in Canada, India, the Philippines, the U ...

and lawyer by profession. He has served as a Special Public Prosecutor. Naik has also been the General Secretary of the

, Daman and Diu Pradesh Congress Committee. He has served as a member of the Town and Country Planning Board,

; Committee on Personal Laws,

; Tenancy Committee,

and the State Khadi Board,

. He was elected the President of the South Goa Advocates' Association and the Vice President of the

, Daman and Diu Advocates' Association. He married Beena Naik (née Nikam) on 11 May 1984. Beena is the sister of eminent public prosecutor

Ujjwal Nikam Ujjwal Nikam is an Indian special public prosecutor who has worked on prominent murder and terrorism cases. He helped prosecute suspects in the 1993 Bombay bombings, the Gulshan Kumar murder case, the Pramod Mahajan murder case, and the 2008 M ...

. Shantaram and Beena have a son named Archit.

Member of Lok Sabha

Shantaram Naik was elected to the

8th Lok Sabha The 8th Lok Sabha ran from 31 December 1984 to 27 November 1989. Politicians were elected in December 1984, taking office by the end of the month. The Lok Sabha (House of the People) is the lower house in the bicameral Parliament of India. 9 s ...

in the 1984 general election from the North Goa constituency.http://www.archive.india.gov.in/govt/rajyasabhampbiodata.php?mpcode=1981 As a Lok Sabha member, he introduced the highest number of Private member's bills in the

. He also pursued the demand for statehood to

. During his term at the

, Naik was a member of the Estimates Committee.

Member of Rajya Sabha

Naik represented

in the

for two terms.

Death

He died on 9 June 2018 in Margao, Goa following a heart attack.

Controversy

After a Russian woman claimed she was raped by a state politician, he suggested that some rape victims invite trouble by socialising with "strangers" and blamed the media for highlighting the issue. Naik was criticised by leaders of opposition parties such as CPI-M, BJP and SP for blaming the rape victim and media.

References

External links

Official Website of Shantaram Naikji - Exploring his work done - launched by his family

Profile on Rajya Sabha website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Naik, Shantaram Laxman 1946 births 2018 deaths Indian National Congress politicians from Goa Rajya Sabha members from Goa People from South Goa district Lok Sabha members from Goa India MPs 1984–1989