Eight-time member of Parliament Santosh Gangwar gets labour ministry

For a man who has been elected to the Parliament eight times, Santosh Gangwar has remained a low-profile man within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Finally, he has received the biggest role he has ever held in the government. 71-year old Gangwar has been appointed a minister of state with independent charge for labour and employment.

Gangwar has been elected from Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh since 1989, except once in 2009 when he lost by a narrow margin. He was Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Ministry of Textile till 2016, after which he was sworn in as Minister of State for Finance. He worked on the roll out of the goods and services tax.

In April 2018, Gangwar stirred controversy by saying that one should not make a big deal about rape in a country as large as India, according to a news report. The statement came after two incidents of sexual assault of minors where BJP leaders were implicated.


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