On Wednesday (July 7), a total of 43 leaders of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) took oath as Ministers in the Narendra Modi government. While most of the ministers are new inductions, seven existing ministers of state have been promoted as cabinet ministers, one of them being BJP’s Rajya Sabha MP from Gujarat, Mansukh Mandaviya. Besides the Chemicals and Fertilizers portfolio, Mansukh Mandaviya has also been appointed as the country’s new health minister. He has replaced Dr Harsh Vardhan.
Though Mansukh Mandaviya, along with the rest of the Cabinet Ministers, assumed his new role from today, a very few people know that PM Narendra Modi had envisioned the political rise of Mandaviya back in the year 2012 when he himself was not aware that one day he would be sworn-in as the Prime Minister of India.
A video of an event held in Surat in April 2012, to honour Mansukh Mandaviya when he was elected to the Rajya Sabha is being widely shared on social media, in which Narendra Modi is confidently heard predicting a bright future for Mansukh Mandaviya.
Exhibiting his earnest faith and confidence in Mandaviya, Modi had said then: “Friends, today our brother has been nominated to the Rajya Sabha. It is a matter of utmost pride. However, this is just the beginning. Those who want to jot down what I am going to say after this in your diaries are free to do so”. Asking the public to take a note of the current date and time Modi furthered: “Remember today at 9:35, I am predicting that Mansukh Mandaviya has an extremely promising future. With his tremendous potentials, he will go a long way. I can foresee that a very bright future lies ahead of him”, said the then CM of Gujarat and today’s PM Narendra Modi.
Back in 2012, PM Narendra Modi had predicted about the rise of Mansukhbhai Mandaviya in the sanman rally of Mansukhbhai in Lalita Chowkdi, Surat when he was made RS MP. What a vision and confidence! pic.twitter.com/2sN4OlKfhe
— Ravi Ghiyar (@ravighiyar) July 8, 2021
The political journey of Mansukh Mandaviya
As envisaged by Modi, Mansukh Mandaviya truly has come a long way in his political journey. He started as a member of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the RSS’s student wing, before joining the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, the youth wing of the BJP. Mandaviya became the youngest MLA in Gujarat in 2002 when he was elected from the Palitana constituency.
He then served as the chairman of Gujarat Agro Industries Corporation Ltd between January 2011 and March 2012. Mandaviya was first elected to the Rajya Sabha in April 2012 and served as a Member of the Committee on Petroleum and Natural Gas between May 2012 and May 2014 and again from September 2014 to July 2016. Between September 2014 and August 2015, he was made a member of the Committee on Industry. Mandaviya also served on the National Welfare Board for Seafarers and Committee on Chemicals and Fertilizers from December 2014 to July 2016.
Since 2016, Mandaviya has been an important young face in the Narendra Modi government at the Centre. He was first inducted in the Union cabinet as Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways, Shipping and Chemicals and Fertilizers on July 5, 2016. On May 30, 2019, he was again sworn in as MoS for Chemicals and Fertilizers with an independent charge of Ports, Shipping and waterways.
As Union minister, Mandaviya is credited with setting up over 5,100 Jan Aushadhi stores to provide more than 850 medicines at affordable rates and reducing the cost of heart stents and knee implants. He was honoured by UNICEF for his contribution to the cause of women’s menstrual hygiene by using the chain of Jan Aushadhi Kendras to sell 10 crore sanitary pads made with oxo-biodegradable technology at a nominal price.
Up until the Lok Sabha 2019 elections, the 47-year-old Mandaviya has successfully performed in whichever role he was entrusted with. Now, all eyes would be set on him as he embarks on his new journey as the Health Minister, especially at a time when India gears up to combat the impending third wave of COVID-19.
