Rajendra Arlekar

Rajendra Arlekar is a Cabinet Minister in the Government of Goa and a former speaker of the Goa Legislative Assembly. He is a leader of Bharatiya Janata Party.^[2] He holds the portfolios of Forest, Environment and Panchayat.^[3]

Early life

He was born on 23 April 1954 in Panaji, Goa, India, to Vishwanath and Tilottama Arlekar.^[4][5] He is a graduate in commerce. He has been a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

Family and personal life

His father, Vishwanath Arlekar, was a social worker. His wife Anagha is a teacher and his two children studied law. During his childhood, Arlekar wanted to be a classical singer. Arlekar runs a successful petrol pump dealership.^[6]

His hobbies are Indian classical music, dramas, Marathi light music and reading. Arlekar is a vociferous reader and likes historical books, autobiographies, and essays. M. C. Chagla's autobiography, "Roses in December", is among Arlekar's favourties.^[7] He has visited Russia, Italy, France, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, South Africa, etc.^[8]

Arlekar practices yoga and 'pranayam'.^[9]

Political career

Arelkar has been associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh since his childhood. He joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in 1989, following his father's footsteps.^[10]

Rajendra Arlekar has served as the President of the Goa unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He was also the General Secretary of the party's state unit and the President of the South Goa district unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Arlekar was also appointed as the Chairman of the Goa Industrial Development Corporation. He also served as the Chairman of the Goa State Scheduled Castes and Other Backward Classes Financial Development Corporation.^[11] During his term as the Speaker of the Goa Legislative Assembly, Arlekar was nominated by the Speaker of the Lok Sabha to the Executive Committee of Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) as a Regional Representative from India.^[12]

Rajendra Arlekar contested his first Assembly elections in 2002 from the Vasco da Gama, Goa constituency as a candidate of the Bharatiya Janata Party and was elected.^[13] He contested the Goa Legislative Assembly election, 2007 from the same constituency but had to suffer defeat. Arlekar contested and won the Goa Legislative Assembly election, 2012 from the Pernem constituency,which was reserved for the Scheduled Castes.^[14][15]

After the Goa Legislative Assembly election, 2012, Arlekar was sworn in as the Speaker of the State Legislature. During his term as the Speaker, Arlekar ensured that the proceedings of the Goa Legislative Assembly was carried out in the State's official language, the Konkani language, as far as possible. His attempt to carry out the proceedings in Konkani was appreciated by many.^[16][17] He also introduced the concept of "paperess Assembly", by reducing the use of paper in the Assembly proceedings and providing laptops to legislators.^[18][19][20] The Monsoon Session of the Goa Legislative Assembly in 2014 saved 1,300 tress due to the paperless transactions, as claimed by then Speaker Arlekar.^[21] The Goa Legislative Assembly became the first legislature in India to go paperless.^[22]

On 1 October 2015, he resigned as Speaker and was sworn in as a Cabinet Minister^[23] He was allotted the portfolios of Forest, Environment and Panchayat.^[24][25]

Arlekar is a strong supporter of the vexed Greenfield International Airport at Mopa, Goa.^[26]

References