The BJP MP who cycled to Parliament: Who is Arjun Ram Meghwal, the new law minister?

India has got a new law minister. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from Rajasthan, Arjun Ram Meghwal, has replaced Kiren Rijiju to take over as the Union minister for law and justice. Rijiju, a three-term Lok Sabha MP from Arunachal Pradesh, has been moved to the Ministry of Earth Sciences.This surprise move was announced in a press communique from the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Thursday (18 May).“President of India, as advised by the Prime Minister, has been pleased to direct the following reallocation of portfolios among Ministers in the Union Council of Ministers:-(i) The portfolio of Ministry of Earth Sciences be assigned to Kiren Rijiju.(ii) Arjun Ram Meghwal, Minister of State be assigned the independent charge as Minister of State in the Ministry of Law and Justice in addition to his existing portfolios, in place of Kiren Rijiju,” the statement said.Who is Arjun Ram Meghwal, the new law minister? Let’s find out.His myriad careers Born on 20 December 1953, Meghwal hails from a traditional weavers family in Rajasthan’s Bikaner.The 69-year-old minister has a Bachelor's degree in Law from Sri Dungar College in Bikaner. As per Hindustan Times (HT), he completed his Master's in Political Science in 1979. Meghwal then went on to pursue a Master's in Business Administration (MBA) from the Philippines University.Meghwal reportedly tied the knot to Pana Devi at a very young age and the couple has four children – two sons and two daughters.He has worked as a social worker, farmer, as well as educator, as per Mint.Meghwal cleared Rajasthan Administrative Services (RAS) examinations in 1982 and was later promoted as an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, reported Indian Express. He has also served as the District Magistrate (Collector) in the Government of Rajasthan.Political lifeMeghwal took voluntary retirement from administrative services to make his political plunge.In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, he was fielded by the BJP from Bikaner. He won the parliamentary seat by defeating Congress nominee Rewat Ram Panwar by almost 20,000 votes.The next year he was appointed as the vice president of the Rajasthan BJP unit and also became BJP’s National Executive.In 2011, he became a member of the Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice.[caption id="attachment_12616052" align="alignnone" width="640"]

Arjun Ram Meghwal is seen as the BJP's Dalit face. PTI File Photo[/caption]The three-term MP from Bikaner, who is considered the BJP’s Scheduled Caste (SC) face, assumed the charge of the Chief Whip of the BJP in Lok Sabha during the first term of the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre.He was also nominated as the Chairman of the House Committee in the lower House by the Speaker, as per Indian Express.From July 2016 to September 2017, he worked as the Union Minister of State (MoS), Ministry of Finance as well as the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.He has experience as the Union MoS for Parliamentary Affairs and Culture and the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development, and Ganga Rejuvenation.As MoS of Parliamentary Affairs, Meghwal is in charge of handling floor management for the BJP in the lower House, noted Indian Express.

Along with the law ministry, he will continue to handle his other portfolios as MoS of Parliamentary Affairs and Culture.

According to PTI, the Bikaner MP is only the third leader to hold the Law and Justice portfolio as an MoS with Independent Charge. Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party's Ramakant Khalap held the portfolio in the same rank in 1996 and Arun Jaitley did for almost two years from 2000-2002 under the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.ALSO READ: Kiren Rijiju was the law minister who took on the judiciary. Now he has been replacedThe MP who cycled to workDonning his usual Rajasthani turban, kurta-pyjama and jacket, Meghwal used to cycle to Parliament. However, as per India Today, the ex-bureaucrat changed his mode of transportation after becoming a minister in 2016.ControversiesIn July 2020, Meghwal landed in a soup when he claimed that “Bhabhaji papad” could help form antibodies required to fight COVID-19. He was accused of promoting “unscientific claims”, as per the Indian Express report.His remarks on Pakistan have also stirred rows. Addressing an investors’ meet in Jammu and Kashmir last month, he said: “That is why you see such a situation in Pakistan…Separatism and terrorism are not in the hearts of those living in India but come from outside”, the report added.After the Pulwama attack in 2019, he had said that India will stop the water of three eastern rivers flowing into Pakistan.Significance of his appointmentMeghwal replacing Rijiju is significant as the latter had frequent run-ins with the judiciary during his tenure as the law minister.Speaking to NDTV, the new law minister said: "The executive and the judiciary have a cordial relationship, and it will stay cordial and constitutional. The boundaries are already there”. He also denied speculations that the recent reshuffle was done due to the growing friction between the Union government and the Supreme Court.Moreover, his appointment has come ahead of the Assembly elections in Rajasthan, which are slated to be held later this year.According to Indian Express, the move can be an attempt by the saffron party to "consolidate" its "support base within the (SC) community”. However, Meghwal has refuted that his appointment is linked to the upcoming polls in his state.With inputs from agenciesRead all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.