Sambit Patra

Last updated

Sambit Patra
National Spokesperson Bharatiya Janata Party
Assumed office
2014
Occupation
  • Surgeon
  • politician

Sambit Patra (born 13 December 1974) is an Indian politician and surgeon who has served as the national spokesperson of the Bharatiya Janata Party since 2014 and currently serving as a chairman in tourism department. [3] Patra had his first job at Hindu Rao Hospital. He was appointed an independent director [4] of the board of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) in 2017. [5] [6] On 30 November 2021, Patra was appointed Chairman of the India Tourism Development Corporation. [7]

Contents

Early life

Patra was born in an Odia family [8] to Rabindra Nath Patra on 13 December 1974 in Bokaro Steel City, then part of Dhanbad district of the state of Bihar, which is now a part of Bokaro district of Jharkhand. [9] [10] His father worked in the Bokaro Steel Plant. He did his primary and intermediate schooling in Chinmaya Vidyalaya, Bokaro. [10] He did his MBBS from Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Burla, Sambalpur, Odisha in 1997 and his Master of Surgery (MS) in General Surgery from Shri Ramachandra Bhanj Medical College, Cuttack, Utkal University in 2002. [10] [6]

Patra had qualified Combined Medical Services Examination conducted by the UPSC in 2003 and joined Hindu Rao Hospital as a medical officer. [1]

Political career

Patra's political career started in 2010 when he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as a spokesperson for its Delhi unit. In 2012, Patra lost the municipal election as the BJP's candidate from Delhi's Kashmiri Gate [11] and at the same time resigned from his job to pursue politics full-time. In the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections in 2014, Patra campaigned for the BJP and gained visibility on national television. When the BJP came to power, Patra became its national spokesperson. [12] [13] In 2017, Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) appointed him as a non-official director of ONGC. [14]

Patra contested the Puri Lok Sabha seat in the 2019 Indian general election, and lost to sitting Biju Janata Dal (BJD) member Pinaki Misra by 11,700 votes or 1.03% margin. [15]

Controversies

In September 2017, Patra was appointed an independent/Non-Official Director (NOD) of the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd (ONGC) Board for a renewable term of three years. Him being an active member and official spokesperson of the ruling party (BJP) was viewed as a violation of the companies act and subsequently challenged in the Delhi High Court by Energy Watchdog (NGO). The petition also alleged the entire selection process to be "flawed". [16] [17] [18] In November 2017, The Delhi High Court dismissed the PIL on grounds of it being "Unsubstantiated" and "Without Merit". The court also stated that questioning Patra's independence to discharge his official duties as an independent director merely on his association with the ruling party (BJP) would be "Highly Inappropriate". [19] [20] Later, the Supreme Court asked the NGO who filed the PIL to "Serve a copy to the Union of India". The SC Bench posted the matter for a later date and mentioned "After hearing preliminary arguments, we can issue formal notice." [21]

In February 2020, Patra tweeted a fake video of ex-INC MLA Naseem Khan chanting 'Pakistan Zindabad', which made the latter file a police complaint against Patra in Mumbai. [22] [23] On 18 May, a tweet by Patra, which included pictures of a document "toolkit" containing social media measures allegedly used by the Congress to hurt Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's image during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, was flagged by Twitter as manipulated media. [24] This decision by Twitter was possibly in response to the Congress lodging a complaint with Twitter's California headquarters to suspend accounts for prominent BJP leaders for allegedly "spreading misinformation and unrest in the society". [25] The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology responded with a letter to Twitter alleging unilateral, arbitrary and politically biased decision on Twitter's part in passing judgement on Patra's case, which was under investigation. [25]

Patra was among two doctors under the Delhi Medical Council scanner for alleged negligence in post-operative care. The complaint dated 1 August 2014 is “under consideration”, according to the council's website. [26]

On 12 August 2020, during a heated TV debate with Indian National Congress spokesperson Rajiv Tyagi, Patra aggressively yelled and referred to him as "Jaichand", and a false Hindu who appears wearing a Tilak. The spokesperson of Congress party, suffered a heart attack just after the debate was over. He was rushed to the hospital, but after some time of treatment, was declared dead. The congress party alleged, that the aggressive methods of the modern debating methods are the reason Rajiv Tyagi died. Many in the twitter had even lashed and declared Patra as a murderer. [27]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bharatiya Janata Party</span> Indian political party

The Bharatiya Janata Party is a political party in India and one of the two major Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. Since 2014, it has been the ruling political party in India under the incumbent Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The BJP is aligned with right-wing politics and has close ideological and organisational links to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) volunteer paramilitary organisation. Its policies adhere to Hindutva, a Hindu nationalist ideology. As of January 2024, it is the country's biggest political party in terms of representation in the Parliament of India as well as state legislatures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Janata Dal (United)</span> Political party in India

Janata Dal (United) (lit. 'People's Party (United)'), abbreviated as JD(U), is an Indian political party with political presence mainly in eastern and north-eastern India. JD(U) is recognised as a state party in the states of Bihar, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur. JD(U) heads the government in Bihar under Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and is also a member of the ruling government in Manipur. JD(U) won 16 seats in the 2019 Indian general election, making it the seventh largest party in the Lok Sabha.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bokaro district</span> District of Jharkhand in India

Bokaro district is one of the most industrialized zones in India. It is one of the twenty-four districts of the Jharkhand state, India. It was established in 1991 by carving out one subdivision consisting of two blocks from Dhanbad district and six blocks from Giridih district. It is the part of State Capital Region (SCR).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Subramanian Swamy</span> Indian politician

Subramanian Swamy is an Indian politician, economist and conspiracy theorist. Before joining politics, he was a professor of Mathematical Economics at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. He is known for his Hindu nationalist views. Swamy was a member of the Planning Commission of India and was a Cabinet Minister in the Chandra Shekhar government. Between 1994 and 1996, Swamy was Chairman of the Commission on Labour Standards and International Trade under former Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao. Swamy was a long-time member of the Janata Party, serving as its president until 2013 when he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He has written on foreign affairs of India dealing largely with China, Pakistan and Israel. He was nominated to Rajya Sabha on 26 April 2016 for a six-year term, ending on 24 April 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">N. Biren Singh</span> 12th Chief Minister of Manipur

Nongthombam Biren Singh is an Indian politician, former footballer and journalist who is currently serving as the 12th Chief Minister of Manipur since 2017 representing Heingang Assembly constituency in the Manipur Legislative Assembly since 2002 as a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Besides being the chairman of Shri Shri Govindaji Temple Board, he is the first incumbent Chief Minister who serves as the president of the Lainingthou Sanamahi Temple Board (LSTB), the temple development board of Lainingthou Sanamahi of the Sanamahi religion since 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Organisation of the Bharatiya Janata Party</span> Structure of Bharatiya Janata Party

The organisation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is based upon the Constitution of the BJP. The organisation of the BJP is strictly hierarchical, with the president being the highest authority in the party. The party is considered to be a cadre-based party that draws from the Hindutva-based ideology of its parent organisation, the RSS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">India Tourism Development Corporation</span> Indian public-sector company

The India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) is a hospitality, retail and education company owned by the Government of India, under the administration of the Ministry of Tourism. Established in 1966, it owns over 17 properties under the Ashok Group of Hotels brand, across India.

Kapil Mishra is an Indian politician from Delhi. Before joining the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2019, Mishra was an Aam Aadmi Party MLA representing Karawal Nagar in the Sixth Legislative Assembly of Delhi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ram Madhav</span> Indian politician

Varanasi Ram Madhav is an Indian politician who served as the National General Secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He is a member of the National Executive of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and has authored a few books. His latest is Uneasy Neighbours: India and China after Fifty Years of the War.

Pinaki Misra is an Indian politician from the Biju Janata Dal party; he is the current Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha from Puri. In 1996 he contested as the Congress candidate for Puri Lok Sabha seat and won over Braja Kishore Tripathy, the then Puri MP and Union Minister. During the 2019 General Election, Pinaki Misra defeated BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra from the Puri Constituency in a closely contested fight. He is a Senior Advocate in the Supreme Court of India and has fought cases in nearly all High Courts in India and major Tribunals in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shazia Ilmi</span> Indian politician

Shazia Ilmi is an Indian politician and the national spokesperson of the Bharatiya Janata Party since July 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harsh Vardhan (Delhi politician)</span> Indian politician (born 1954)

Harsh Vardhan is an Indian politician and otorhinolaryngologist. He had served as the Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Minister of Science and Technology and Minister of Earth Sciences in the BJP-led NDA government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi from 30 May 2019 to 7 July 2021. He represents Chandni Chowk in Delhi as a Member of Parliament in the 17th Lok Sabha. He was elected to the office of chairperson of executive board of the World Health Organization from May 22, 2020. Vardhan has been prominent in the Indian government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. He later resigned from his cabinet post ahead of the cabinet reshuffle in July 2021.

Syed Naseer Hussain is an Indian politician of Indian National Congress and a Member of the upper house of the Indian Parliament, the Rajya Sabha, from the state of Karnataka. He served as National Media Panelist (AICC) for the past three years. He also served as National Secretary and Chief Election Authority of Indian Youth Congress. He also served as the Chairman of various committees; Vice-Chairman, two labour boards and Chairman, two sub- committees, Government of India. He is from Bellary..He appointed as member of CWC in Congress. Currently, Dr. Hussain serves on the Congress Working Committee as a full time Member and is responsible for managing the office of the Indian National Congress President Honorable Shri Malikarjun Kharge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Delhi Legislative Assembly election</span> Indian election event

Legislative Assembly elections were held in Delhi on 8 February 2020 to elect 70 members of the Delhi Legislative Assembly. Voters turnout was recorded at 62.82%, a decline of 4.65% from the previous assembly election in Delhi but 2.2% more than the 2019 Indian general election in Delhi. The term of the assembly elected in 2015 expired on 22 February 2020. The Aam Aadmi Party, led by Arvind Kejriwal won 62 seats to claim an absolute majority in the elections.

Rajiv Tyagi was a leader and spokesperson for Indian National Congress, known for being a prominent figure in news debates. He died on 12 August 2020 in Ghaziabad, shortly after a television appearance; his cause of death was reported variously as either a heart attack or cardiac arrest.

Syed Zafar Islam is an Indian Politician and Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha from the state of Uttar Pradesh. He is currently one of the national spokespersons of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Islam is a former investment banker and the former Managing director of the Indian subsidiary of Deutsche Bank. He is regarded as one of the prominent Muslim leaders of the party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Govindas Konthoujam</span> Indian politician

Govindas Konthoujam Singh is an Indian politician of Manipur and member of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He was elected for the seventh time in a row as a member of the Manipur Legislative Assembly from Bishnupur constituency in Bishnupur District from the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2022 Manipur Legislative Assembly election. Singh is Minister for PWD, Department of Youth Affairs & Sports in Second N. Biren Singh ministry.

Bharatiya Janata Party Information Technology Cell is a department of the Indian political party BJP that manages social media campaigns for the party and its members. Amit Malviya has been in charge of BJP IT Cell from 2015.

Nupur Sharma is an Indian politician. She was the national spokesperson of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) until June 2022. She frequently represented BJP on Indian television debates as an official spokesperson. In June 2022, she was suspended from the party due to her comments about Muhammad and the age of his third wife, Aisha, at the time of their marriage and the consummation of the marriage as well her comments on other central doctrines in the Islamic tradition.

References

  1. 1 2 "Sambit Patra, furious over the question of being made the chairman of ITDC, said - now the thesis will ask the qualification of UPSC people?". Aaj Tak. 3 December 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  2. ↑ "Sambit Patra turns 46: Tracing the political journey of BJP spokesperson" . Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  3. ↑ Administrator. "National Office Bearers". www.bjp.org. Archived from the original on 22 October 2014. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  4. ↑ Limited, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation. "ONGC - Board of Directors". www.ongcindia.com. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  5. ↑ "Sambit Patra to be up for reappointment on ONGC board". thehindubusinessline.com. Business Line. 25 January 2019. Retrieved 11 April 2020. Patra was appointed as an Independent Director on the ONGC board on October 28 last year.
  6. 1 2 "Oil & Natural Gas Corp Ltd (ONGC:Natl India)". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 25 March 2019. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  7. ↑ "Sambit Patra appointed as Chairman of ITDC". The Hindu. 2 December 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  8. ↑ @sambitswaraj (13 May 2014). "Yes I am an Oriya :)) "@vivek5677: @sambitswaraj sir u r an oriya.orissa desperately need a leader/good orator like u."" (Tweet). Retrieved 27 October 2020– via Twitter.
  9. ↑ "Sambit Patra(Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP)):Constituency- PURI(ODISHA) - Affidavit Information of Candidate". myneta.info. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  10. 1 2 3 "जानें क्‍या है भाजपा प्रवक्‍ता संबित पात्रा का धनबाद कनेक्‍शन, टिकट के दावेदारों में उछला नाम". Dainik Jagran (in Hindi). 10 February 2019. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  11. ↑ "Ward Wise Result Sheet MCD General Election -2012 Total Votes Polled" (PDF). www.delhi.gov.in. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 May 2017. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  12. ↑ Saini, Shivam (26 December 2015). "Is Sambit Patra helping BJP's image?". Business Standard India. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
  13. ↑ Bamzai, Kaveree (22 December 2018). "The journey of BJP's Sambit Patra from a trained surgeon to a nasty TV star". ThePrint . Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  14. ↑ Press Trust of India (30 September 2017). "BJP's Sambit Patra appointed to ONGC board". Hindustan Times . Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  15. ↑ "Puri election result: Sambit Patra loses a close fight with Pinaki Misra". The Economic Times . TNN. 24 May 2019. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
  16. ↑ Indian, The Logical (7 March 2018). "Sambit Patra Appointed As Independent Director Of ONGC, Supreme Court Asks Centre Why". thelogicalindian.com. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  17. ↑ "BJP's Sambit Patra appointed to ONGC board". Hindustan Times. 30 September 2017. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  18. ↑ "Sambit Patra's appointment to ONGC Board challenged in High Court". The Economic Times. 25 October 2017. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  19. ↑ "Relief to Sambit Patra:HC rejected PIL against his appointment as ONGC director". India Whispers. 6 November 2017. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  20. ↑ "HC rejects PIL challenging Sambit Patra's appointment in ONGC". The Economic Times. 6 November 2017. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  21. ↑ "SC to hear Centre's reply to plea challenging BJP leader Sambit Patra's appointment to ONGC board". Scroll.in. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  22. ↑ Grewal, Kairvy (7 February 2020). "Sambit Patra shares fake video of ex-Congress MLA & asks followers to fact-check it" . Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  23. ↑ "'Stop editing videos': Twitter slams Sambit Patra for sharing Cong leader's fake 'Pakistan Zindabad' video". Free Press Journal. 7 February 2020. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  24. ↑ "Twitter flags Sambit Patra's tweet on Congress 'toolkit' as manipulated media". The Hindu. 21 May 2021 – via www.thehindu.com.
  25. 1 2 Arnimesh, Shanker (22 May 2021). "Ministry warning to Twitter over Sambit Patra 'toolkit' tweet was sent after BJP sought action". ThePrint. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  26. ↑ Venugopal, Vasudha (1 April 2016). "BJP spokesman Sambit Patra under Delhi Medical Council lens for negligence in post-operative care". Economic Times. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  27. ↑ "Congress spokesman Rajiv Tyagi dies soon after TV debate". The Times of India. 13 August 2020. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.