Rajya Sabha MP Vijay Goel’s inclusion in the Union Council of Ministers marks a comeback of sorts for the leader after the BJP virtually removed him from Delhi, where he once hoped to be the chief min
Rajya Sabha MP Vijay Goel’s inclusion in the Union Council of Ministers marks a comeback of sorts for the leader after the BJP virtually removed him from Delhi, where he once hoped to be the chief ministerial face. He was elected to the Upper House from Rajasthan in 2014.
A three-time Lok Sabha MP from Sadar and Chandni Chowk constituencies of Delhi, Mr Goel was a minister in the Prime Minister’s Office in the first NDA government under Atal Behari Vajpayee. He remained a prominent party leader in the national capital before being sidelined in the last two Assembly polls.
The son of former Delhi Assembly Speaker Charti Lal Goel, he has an M.Com degree from Sri Ram College of Commerce and a LLB from Delhi University.
He was a member of the RSS and was jailed during Emergency. After his release from jail, Mr Goel became the Delhi University Students’ Union president in 1977 as a candidate of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad.
A media-savvy and skilful politician, Mr Goel may be used by the saffron brigade to counter Aam Aadmi Party leader and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, whose consistent attacks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi often force the top BJP brass into damage control mode, with the state leadership being seen as largely ineffectual.
As a minister of state, he had also earlier held the charges of youth affairs and sports and parliamentary affairs.
The 62-year-old leader entered the Rajya Sabha for the first time in 2014. His Rajya Sabha biodata says that he also led a country-wide campaign for banning lottery and a movement for prohibition of smoking in public places.
With Mr Modi often exhorting his ministers to do the extra bit to spread the word about his government’s work among the masses, Mr Goel’s knack of publicity over public issues is likely to come in handy.
