Ram Madhav
National General Secretary, Bharatiya Janata Party
In office
2014–2020
President
Personal details
Born
Varanasi Ram Madhav[1]

(1964-08-22) 22 August 1964 (age 59)
Amalapuram, Andhra Pradesh, India
Political partyBharatiya Janata Party
Alma materUniversity of Mysore
OccupationPolitician
Websiterammadhav.in

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

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

Madhav's association with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh began as a teenager. He volunteered to be a full-time worker for RSS in 1981. He was assigned to several key positions in the organization.[9]

Ram Madhav (left) in a conversation with Rajdeep Sardesai during the launch of the book "The RSS" written by Walter K. Anderson and Sridhar D. Damle in New Delhi.

He has also been the editor of Bharatiya Pragna, a monthly magazine in English published by Pragna Bharati,[8] and associate editor of Jagriti, a Telugu weekly.[10] He worked as a journalist for over 20 years with RSS sponsored publications and has authored more than twelve books. He serves as the Member of the Board of Governors of India Foundation, a New Delhi–based think-tank focused on the issues, challenges, and opportunities of the Indian polity.[11] He is also a mentor at Vision India Foundation, a New Delhi–based think tank working on public leadership amongst youth[12][13]

He served as the national spokesperson of the RSS from 2003 to 2014. Madhav was seconded to the BJP and appointed as one of its national general secretaries in 2014.[9]

External videos
video icon Shri "Ram Madhav joins BJP in the presence of BJP President Shri Amit Shah - 10th July 2014" Bharatiya Janata Party on YouTube

As a General Secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party, he is credited for the rise of the party in North East India and building alliances with regional parties.[14]

Personal views

Foreign policy

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.[15] He was involved in the BJP's entry into the International Democrat Union, a worldwide grouping of right of centre political parties.[16]

Reception

British anchor Mehdi Hasan's interview

On the talk show called Head to Head in Al Jazeera, a Qatari news channel, anchored by Mehdi Hasan on Hindu Nationalism,[17] Ram Madhav's statement on 'your' ISIS[18] to the British anchor with an explanation later published in Indian Express calling it just a slip of tongue [19] After the show, the anchor Mehdi Hasan stated that he was being called an ISIS supporter since then by internet trolls.[20]

Books

Hindutva Paradigm

References

  1. ^ "Kakinada: Leaders Await Results for Strengthening Party". Deccan Chronicle. 28 April 2019. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  2. ^ Administrator. "National Office Bearers". bjp.org. Archived from the original on 22 October 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  3. ^ "Amit Shah: Congress will have to give ads to find candidates". IndiaToday.in. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
  4. ^ "Ram Madhav on Twitter". Twitter.
  5. ^ "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.
  6. ^ a b "About". rammadhav.in.
  7. ^ "Ram Madhav: BJP leader Ram Madhav's mother passes away | India News - Times of India". The Times of India. 16 May 2018.
  8. ^ a b "The Pracharak Is Going Places". outlookindia.com. 8 December 2014. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  9. ^ a b "RSS leader Ram Madhav to join BJP". The Times of India. 7 July 2014.
  10. ^ "Ram Madhav is emerging as BJP's firefighter". SundayGuardianLive. 26 September 2016. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  11. ^ "President for RSS think-tank meet". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 26 December 2016. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  12. ^ "Team". 19 December 2014. Archived from the original on 22 September 2020. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  13. ^ "Policy BootCamp 2019: Sh. Ram Madhav on "Ideas for Transforming India"". YouTube. Archived from the original on 5 December 2021.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ "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.
  16. ^ Gyan Varma (27 February 2016). "BJP joins International Democratic Union". livemint.com. Live Mint. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  17. ^ "Transcript: Ram Madhav on Hindu nationalism". Al Jazeera. 7 June 2016. Archived from the original on 23 February 2020. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  18. ^ 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.
  19. ^ Singh, Sarabjeet (2 January 2016). "Why I think Mehdi Hasan's interview with Ram Madhav was flirting with bias". DailyO. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  20. ^ 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.

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