Udit Raj

Udit Raj

Udit Raj
National Executive Member Bharatiya Janata Party[1]
Assumed office
23 February 2014
Member of the India Parliament
for North West Delhi
Assumed office
16 May 2014
Preceded by Krishna Tirath
Majority 1,06,802 (7.88%)
Personal details
Born (1961-01-01) 1 January 1961
Ramnagar, Allahabad district, Uttar Pradesh, India
Political party Bharatiya Janata Party
Spouse(s) Seema Raj
Children 1 son
1 daughter
Alma mater Jawaharlal Nehru University
Profession Civil servant (Indian Revenue Service), social activist, writer, politician
Religion Buddhism
Website Udit Raj
As of 22 March, 2014

Udit Raj is an Indian Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha, representing the North-west Delhi constituency.[2] Dr. Rajis also the National Chairman of the All India Confederation of SC/ST Organizations. He is an influential leader for the Bharatiya Janata Party as well as nationally as a social activist for Dalits. Udit Raj is a member to the BJP National Executive.[3] He was born in Ramnagar, Uttar Pradesh into a low caste Hindu Khatik family,[4] and studied for BA at Allahabad University. He took admission at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi in 1980. He was selected for the prestigious Indian Revenue Service in 1988 and served as the Dy, Commissioner, Joint Commissioner and Addl. Commissioner of Income Tax at New Delhi. On 24 November 2003 he declared his resignation from the Indian government service and formed a political party namely Indian Justice Party. He is a prominent activist working on behalf of India's Dalits.

He has joined Bharatiya Janata Party on 23 February 2014 in the presence of senior political leaders of BJP. In the past he had opposed BJP,[5] but now regards BJP to sympathetic to the Dalits and tribals.[6]

Early life

Udit comes from a Khatik family. His first posting was at Ghaziabad where he served as Assistant Commissioner of Income Tax in the year 1990. He was transferred to Delhi in 1995, where he served at the reputed posts of Deputy Commissioner, Joint Commissioner and Additional Commissioner of Income Tax.

Activism

Raj formed the Indian Justice Party in 2003 and the All India Confederation of SC/ST Organizations on 2 October 1997 and, in 1996, also established the Lord Buddha Club. Udit Raj, in the tradition of the Indian Dalit leader and author of the Constitution B. R. Ambedkar, converted to Buddhism in November 2001 alongside thousands of followers.

It was due to his efforts that the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Government passed the 81st, 82nd and 85th Constitutional Amendments which would, in turn, lead to the retrieval of reservation benefits.

Raj is a strong advocate for an increase in reservation in India for Indians belonging to Scheduled Caste-, Scheduled Tribe- and Other Backward Class-communities. In the past, Raj had formed partnerships with Christian organisations including the Indian Social Institute and the All India Christian Council. Raj has worked with prominent Christian leaders, such as John Dayal and Ambrose Pinto as well as with Muslim leaders such as Maulana Mahmood Madani, general secretary of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind.

Raj was also a member of the National Integration Council of the Government of India.

Elections

Udit Raj was BJP’s Lok Sabha candidate for North West Delhi.[7] and won the Parliamentary election results declared on 16 May 2014.

Udit Raj and the BJP

Udit Raj has been a critic of Bharatiya Janata Party, but revised his position after joining the BJP, stating that he was convinced of the party's sincere interest in the inclusive growth of all sections of Indian society, including the welfare of SC/ST as well as backwards sections, in addition to the BJP's stated commitment to uphold the integrity and unity of India.

References

  1. ↑ "Dalit leader Udit Raj joins BJP". dna. 24 February 2014.
  2. ↑ "Not Without Reservations".
  3. ↑ "Noted Dalit Activist Udit Raj joins Bharatiya Janata Party". IANS. news.biharprabha.com. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
  4. ↑ Arpit Parashar (4 May 2011). "One more party for Dalits in Uttar Pradesh". tehelka.com.
  5. ↑ Udit Raj (22 June 2004). "Reservation For Dalits In Private Sector". countercurrents.org.
  6. ↑ "'Dalits have bright future in BJP'". The Statesman. 5 March 2014.
  7. ↑ Pritam. "4th List of Candidates for Lok Sabha Election 2014". bjp.org.
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