Arjun Ram Meghwal Age, Caste Family, Biography

Bio/Wiki
Profession	Politician
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)	5' 9" (175 cm)
Eye Colour	Black
Hair Colour	Salt & Pepper
Politics
Political Party	Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) (2009 - Present)
Political Journey	• Elected as MP from Bikaner in 2009 • Member of Consultative Committee, External Affairs Member, National Core Committee, Scheduled Castes Morcha B.J.P. (2009) • Member of Standing Committee on Defence (31 August 2009 - 20 June 2010) • Vice-President of Bharatiya Janata Party (B.J.P.) Rajasthan • Member of National Executive, B.J.P. (2010 onwards) • Member of Standing Committee on Science and Technology, Environment and Forest (21 June 2010 - 31 August 2011) • Member of Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice (31 August 2011) • Convenor of Anuvrat Parliamentarian Forum (2011 onwards) • Member of Zonal Railway User`s Consultative Committee (ZRUCC) (1 December 2011) • Member of Committee on the Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (1 May 2012) • Member of Committee on Absence of Member from the Sitting of the House (21 April 2013) • Re-elected as MP from Bikaner in 2014 • Chief Whip of Lok Sabha, (BJP) (12 July 2014) • Member of Business Advisory Committee (13 June 2014 - 5 July 2016) • Member of Standing Committee on Railways (1 September 2014 - 5 July 2016) • Member of Committee on Ethics (15 September 2014 - 5 July 2016) • Member of Consultative Committee, Ministry of External Affairs and Overseas Indian Affairs (15 September 2014 - 5 July 2016) • Executive Member of Indian Parliamentary Group (15 September 2014 - 5 July 2016) • Chairperson of House Committee (28 November 2014 - 5 July 2016) • Member of Joint Committee on Offices of Profit (11 December 2014 - 5 July 2016) • Member of General Purposes Committee (29 January 2015 - 5 July 2016) • Member of Governing Council of SSA (29 January 2015 - 5 July 2016) • Member of National Khadi and Village Industries Board (29 January 2015 - 5 July 2016) • Member of Committee on Estimates (1 May 2015 - 5 July 2016) • Member of Sub-Committee-III, Committee on Estimates (3 July 2015) • Minister of State for Water Resources, Government of India (5 July 2016 – 3 September 2017) • Minister of State for Finance & Corporate Affairs (5 July 2016 – 3 September 2017) • Re-elected as MP from Bikaner in 2019 • Minister of State for Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises (30 May 2019 – 7 July 2021) • Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs (3 September 2017) • Minister of Law and Justice (18 May 2023) • Won the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from the Bikaner seat in Rajasthan by 5,66,737 votes
Awards, Honours, Achievements	Best Parliamentarian Award (2013)
Personal Life
Date of Birth	20 December 1953 (Sunday)
Age (as of 2023)	70 Years
Birthplace	Kismidesar Village, Bikaner, Rajasthan, India
Zodiac sign	Sagittarius
Signature
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	Bikaner, Rajasthan, India
School	Jawahar Jain Secondary School, Bhinasar, Rajasthan
College/University	• Government Dungar College, Bikaner • University of Philippines, Philippines
Educational Qualification [1]NDTV	• BA at Government Dungar College, Bikaner • LLB at Government Dungar College, Bikaner • MA in Political Science at Government Dungar College, Bikaner • MBA at the University of Philippines, Philippines
Religion	Hinduism
Caste	Dalit [2]The Quint
Address	Sansad Sewa Kendra, C- 66, K K Colony, Joiya Market, Bikaner, Rajasthan
Controversies	Claiming “Bhabhi Ji” Papad Can Help in Fighting Covid-19 Amid the Covid-19 pandemic in July 2020, Meghwal attracted criticism for promoting unscientific claims when he said that “Bhabhi Ji” Papad could help create antibodies needed to fight Covid-19. Ironically, Meghwal himself tested positive for Covid just two weeks after the statement. [3]The Wire
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Married
Marriage Date	12 May 1968
Marriage Place	Nal Badi, Bikaner, Rajasthan, India
Family
Wife/Spouse	Pana Devi
Children	Son- 2 • Ravi Shekhar Meghwal (former Rajasthan administrative services (RAS) officer, politician, member of BJP) • Naveen Meghwal (Director at ICCR in Bali) Daughter- 2 (Names Not Known)
Parents	Father- Lakhu Ram Meghwal (weaver) Mother- Heera Devi Meghwal (weaver)
Others	Maternal Cousin Brother- Madan Gopal Meghwal (politician and member of INC)
Money Factor
Assets/Properties	Moveable Assets • Cash: Rs. 75,000 • Deposits in Banks: Rs. 1,03,57,629 • Jewellery: Rs. 2,15,000 Immoveable Assets • Non-Agricultural Land: Rs. 5,00,000 • Residential Buildings: Rs. 4,00,000 Note: The given estimates of movable and immovable assets are according to the financial year 2018-2019. It does not include assets owned by his wife and dependents. [4]My Neta
Net Worth (as of 2019)	Rs. 1,04,87,315 Note: It does not include the net worth of his wife and dependents. [5]My Neta

Some Lesser Known Facts About Arjun Ram Meghwal

• Born into a family of traditional weavers, Meghwal spent his children in Kismidesar Village in Bikaner weaving with his parents. In an interview, he talked about the same and said,
  

  I was born in a traditional weaver family of Kismidesar village (Bikaner), where any student of my age hardly goes to school. During my school and college days I used to weave to support my family and my education.”

  

  Arjun Ram Meghwal weaving at a workshop

• He completed his primary schooling at a government school in his village.

• Meghwal was in Class 8 when got married to Pana Devi and continued his studies after marriage.

• He started preparing for competitive examinations after completing his formal education. At the same time, he secured a job as a telephone operator in the Indian Post and Telegraph Department.

• He cleared the written examination on the first attempt but failed to clear the interview round for Rajasthan Administrative Services (RAS).

• He passed the RAS  examinations on his second attempt in 1982.

• He was appointed as the Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to the Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan Hari Shankar Bhabhra in 1994.

• He also fought and won the elections for the post of General Secretary of Telephone Traffic.

• In 1994, he also became the State President of Rajasthan Udhyog Seva Parishad. Later, he was appointed as Additional Collector (Development) in Barmer. Then, he won the election for General Secretary for Dr Ambedkar Memorial Welfare Society, Rajasthan.

• After serving in numerous capacities in the state service, he was promoted as an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer in 1999.

• He served in various capacities in the Rajasthan Cadre as an IAS officer including the District Magistrate (Collector) of Churu, Rajasthan.

• Meghwal took voluntary retirement from the administrative services ahead of the 2009 Lok Sabha polls and plunged into politics as a member of the BJP.

• As an MP, Meghwal often rode a bicycle to the Parliament wearing his trademark Rajasthani outfit, a turban, kurta-pyjama, and a sleeveless jacket, with an aim to exhibit his Bikaneri identity.
  

  A picture of Meghwal riding a cycle outside parliament in his trademark Rajasthani outfit

• In 2013, Meghwal called Lok Sabha’s attention to his proposed legislation, a private member bill against the Delhi High Court judgment of 2009 which termed section 377 of the Indian Penal Code unconstitutional and decriminalised gay sex. While talking to the media about his anti-homosexuality bill, he said,
  

  The main point of my bill is that the honourable Delhi High Court’s decision is not in accordance with Indian culture.”

• In 2014, Meghwal caught public attention for highlighting that Robert Vadra, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law, had allegedly undertaken illegal land deals in Bikaner.

• In 2016, he was appointed to PM Narendra Modi’s Council of Ministers. BJP’s move was perceived as an attempt to balance the caste equations as the party had dropped Nihal Chand Meghwal from the council. Nihal Chand Meghwal, the Ganganagar MP and MoS in the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, who also belongs to the SC community like Meghwal was dropped by the party as he was accused in a 2011 rape case.
  

  A picture of Arjun Ram Meghwal along with PM Narendra Modi

• BJP veteran and seven-time MLA Devi Singh Bhati submitted his resignation over giving a ticket to Arjun Ram Meghwal to contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from the Bikaner seat. Bhati accused Meghwal of being an “agent of the Congress”. He said he will continue as a member of the BJP if Meghwal was denied a ticket from Bikaner. Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Meghwal also faced competition from within his family when INC fielded his cousin Madan Gopal Meghwal from the Bikaner seat,  the constituency from where Meghwal was contesting the elections. Madan Gopal Meghwal is a former IPS officer, who also took voluntary retirement to venture into politics as a member of the INC.

• As MoS, Ministry of Culture, Meghwal pitched for declaring the Mangarh hillock in Rajasthan as a monument of national importance saying that “the unsung heroes of the Mangarh hillock massacre have not received the importance in history they deserved.”  On 17 November 1913, the British forces opened fire on 1,500 Bhil tribal freedom fighters gathered at Mangarh hillock who were holding a meeting in protest, led by a leader from the community Govind Guru.
  

  Union MoS for Parliamentary Affairs and Culture Arjun Ram Meghwal receiving a report on declaring ‘Mangarh hillock’ as a monument of National Importance by the Chairman of National Monuments Authority (NMA) Tarun Vijay, in New Delhi

•  The BJP MP is also known for occasionally singing spiritual bhajans at various events. He was also seen singing on the 100th episode of PM Modi’s Mann ki Baat.
  

  Arjun Ram Meghwal singing spiritual bhajans at Hunar Haat Agra