Maneka Gandhi Age, Height, Family, Career, Net Worth, Lifestyle & Facts

PERSONAL INFORMATION

Full Name: Maneka Sanjay Gandhi

Profession: Politician & Animal Rights Activist

Date of Birth: 26 August 1956 (Sunday)

Age (as of 2024): 68 Years

Birthplace: New Delhi

Zodiac sign: Virgo

Nationality: Indian

Hometown: New Delhi

Religion: Hinduism

Caste: Sikh

Food Habit: Vegetarian

Marriage Date: 23 September 1974

Age: 68 Years

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EDUCATION

School: Lawrence School, Sanawar, Himachal Pradesh

College/University: • Lady Sri Ram College for Women, New Delhi • Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi

FAMILY & RELATIONSHIPS

Marital Status: Widowed

Affairs/Boyfriends: Late Sanjay Gandhi

Husband/Spouse: Late Sanjay Gandhi (Politician)

Children: Son – Varun Gandhi Daughter – None

Parents: Father – Late Lt. Col. Tarlochan Singh Anand Mother – Late Amteshwar Anand

Siblings: Brother – None Sister – Ambika Shukla

Husband: Sanjay Gandhi

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

Awards, Honours, Achievements: • Lord Erskine Award from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) in 1992 • Environmentalist and Vegetarian of the year 1994 • Prani Mitra Award in 1996 • Lifetime Achievement Award by the Venu Menon Animal Allies Foundation, 1999 • Dewaliben Charitable Trust Award, 1999 • International Women’s Association, Woman of the Year Award, 2001 • Dinanath Mangeshkar Aadishakti Puraskar in the field of Environment and Animal Welfare, 2001 • Woman of the Year Award by International Women’s Association, 2001 • Rukmini Devi Arundale Animal Welfare Award, 2011 • Human Achiever Award in the field of Women Empowerment and Children Welfare by the Human Achiever Foundation, India

MONEY FACTOR

Assets/Properties: Movable Assets: INR 12.46 crores Cash: INR 39,000 Bank Deposits: INR 6.07 crores Jewellery: 3415.59 gm of Gold and 85.025 kg of Silver worth INR 1 crores Bonds & Debentures: INR 6.07 crores Immovable Assets: INR 24.95 crores 1 Residential Building worth INR 18 crores 1 Commercial Building worth INR 6 crores

Salary (as The Minister of Women and Child Development): INR 1 lac + other benefits (per month)

Net Worth (approx.): INR 37.14 crores (as in 2014)

OTHER INFORMATION

Political Party: • Rashtriya Sanjay Manch (1983-1988) • Janata Dal (1988-1996) • Bharatiya Janata Party (2004-Present)

Political Journey: • In 1983, Maneka Gandhi founded the Rashtriya Sanjay Manch • Her party won four out of five seats in the 1983 Assembly Elections of Andhra Pradesh • She contested the 1984 Lok Sabha Elections from Amethi, Uttar Pradesh but lost to Rajiv Gandhi • In 1988, she merged her party with VP Singh’s Janata Dal and was also made the General Secretary of the Janata Dal • In November 1989, she won her first election and was elected to the 9th Lok Sabha • She got appointed as the Minister of State for The Ministry of Environment in the VP Singh Government • She served as the Environment Minister from 1989 to 1991 • In 1996 and 1998, she contested the Lok Sabha elections from Pilibhit as an independent candidate and won • In 1999, she supported the BJP and was appointed as the Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment • She joined the BJP in 2004 and contested and won the Lok Sabha Elections from Pilibhit • In 2009 she contested from the Aonla Lok Sabha seat • Became a member of the Loka Sabha from the Pilibhit Constituency • She was made the Union Minister of Women & Child Development in 2014 in the Narendra Modi Government • She contested the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections from Sultanpur and won by a slender margin of 14,526 votes against BSP’s Chandra Bhadra Singh

Address: 14, Ashoka Road,New Delhi

Hobbies: • Reading • Writing • Gardening

INTERESTING BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Maneka Gandhi, a prominent figure in Indian politics, is renowned for her unwavering commitment to animal rights and environmental advocacy. Born in New Delhi to Lt. Col. Tarlochan Singh Anand and Amteshwar Anand, she received her education at the prestigious Lawrence School in Sanawar, a place that nurtured the children of many distinguished families across India. After completing her schooling, she pursued her graduation from Lady Sri Ram College for Women in New Delhi, where her charisma and talent shone brightly. During her time at college, she participated in various beauty pageants and fashion shows, a prelude to her burgeoning career in modeling that began with an advertisement for Bombay Dyeing. Her stunning performance in that campaign caught the attention of Sanjay Gandhi, leading to a significant turning point in her life.

In 1973, at a cocktail party hosted by her cousin Veenu Anand, Maneka met Sanjay Gandhi, and the connection was immediate. Despite her mother’s disapproval, the couple became engaged in July 1974, marrying just two months later on September 23, 1974. Their wedding was notable for a special gift from Indira Gandhi, who presented Maneka with a beautiful khadi saree woven by Jawaharlal Nehru himself. As the Emergency period unfolded, Sanjay’s influence grew significantly, often overshadowing traditional political structures, which propelled Maneka into a position of ambition, believing her husband could ascend to the Prime Ministership.

Following the Congress party’s defeat in the 1977 elections, Maneka took proactive steps to aid in the reestablishment of Congress power. She launched a political magazine, Surya, which played a pivotal role in swaying public opinion back in favor of Indira Gandhi. This endeavor contributed to the Congress’s resounding victory in 1980, aided by strategic insights from Sanjay and the magazine’s impactful articles. Tragically, the same year brought profound sorrow to Maneka when Sanjay died in a plane crash while performing aerobatics. Having warned him about the aircraft’s condition just a day before, her grief was compounded by a sense of helplessness and loss. Subsequently, she raised their son Varun in the Zoroastrian faith, honoring her husband’s wish for his children to be brought up in a monotheistic environment.

Despite her grief and challenges, Maneka demonstrated remarkable resilience. After her husband’s death, tensions arose between her and Indira Gandhi, leading to her departure from the Prime Minister’s residence. In 1983, she founded the Rashtriya Sanjay Manch, making a significant impact in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections by winning four out of five contested seats. Although her political journey included setbacks, such as her defeat against Rajiv Gandhi in the 1984 Lok Sabha elections, she persevered. By merging her party with Janata Dal and winning her first Lok Sabha seat in 1989, she became the Minister of State for the Ministry of Environment.

Her dedication to animal welfare culminated in the establishment of People For Animals in 1992, which has grown to be the largest animal rights organization in India, with Maneka serving as its chairperson. She continued her political ascent by winning elections in 1996 and 1998 as an independent candidate before joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2004 alongside her son Varun. Following the 2014 General Elections, she was appointed the Union Minister for Women and Child Development under Narendra Modi’s cabinet. In addition to her political career, Maneka has authored thirteen books between 1980 and 2009, covering a range of topics from animal welfare and environmental issues to reflections on her late husband, Sanjay Gandhi, encapsulating her diverse interests and advocacy efforts.

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Note: All biographical information compiled from publicly available sources.