Mewalal Chaudhary

Mewalal Chaudhary alias Mewa lal Kushwaha is a leader of Janata Dal (United) and was a minister for a brief period of time in the Nitish Kumar cabinet. He got elected from the Tarapur (Vidhan Sabha constituency) to the Bihar Legislative Assembly in 2020. He was a minister in charge of Education in the 2020 Bihar Government but had to resign just three days after his appointment amidst row over his alleged involvement in a corruption case for which he was booked earlier.[1][2][3][4][5]

Mewalal Chaudhary
Former Minister of Education
Government of Bihar
In office
16 November 2020 – 19 November 2020
Preceded byKrishana Nandan Prasad Verma
Janata Dal (United)
Member of the Bihar Legislative Assembly
Assumed office
10 November 2020
ConstituencyTarapur (Vidhan Sabha constituency)
In office
November 2015 – November 2020
Preceded byNeeta Choudhary
ConstituencyTarapur (Vidhan Sabha constituency)
Personal details
Born4 January 1953
Munger district, Bihar
Political partyJanata Dal (United)
Spouse(s)Neeta Choudhary
EducationMaster of Science in Agriculture
PHD
ProfessionAgriculturist, Vice Chancellor of Bihar Agricultural University

Biography

Born on 4 January 1953 to Deep Narayan Chaudhary in Munger district, Mewalal is Master of Science in Agriculture. He was married to Neetu Chaudhary, who was a JD(U) MLA. Neetu however died in an accident caused by gas cylinder blast at her residence.[6] He entered active politics in 2010 and remained successful in getting elected to Bihar Legislative Assembly in the year 2015 on the ticket of Janata Dal (United). He defeated Shakuni Choudhury of Hindustani Awam Morcha in that election.[7]

He has served as Vice Chancellor of Rajendra Agricultural University, Pusa, Samastipur and Bihar Agricultural University, Sabaur. Chaudhary has also remained one of the member of Committee which drafted Bihar Agricultural roadmap. Serving as the horticultural commissioner of the Government of India he assisted in development of the draft horticulture mission, micro irrigation project as well as National Bamboo Mission.[8] He has also worked for the upliftment of downtrodden.[9]

Chaudhary was allegedly involved in mismanagement of appointments to Bihar Agricultural University on the post of junior scientists and Professors while he was the head of it in 2017. Consequently, he was sacked by the ruling JD (U) in the meantime which was ruling in alliance with the Rashtriya Janata Dal and JD (U) former alliance Bharatiya Janata Party was in opposition.[10] In the same year he was granted anticipatory bail in the said case and was taken back in the party in 2018.[11]

Mewalal once again won from the Tarapur seat and was appointed as education minister in the Nitish Kumar cabinet in 2020. The appointment was questioned by the opposition while serious allegations were made regarding the death of her wife by an Indian Police Service officer who linked it to political conspiracy pertaining to the Bihar Agricultural University 2017 scam.[12][13][14] On 16 November 2020, just three days after assuming the office of Education minister Mewalal resigned amidst protest by the opposition regarding giving the ministerial berth to an accused of corruption. He was allegedly involved in fraudulent appointment to the post of agricultural Scientist and junior Professor during his tenure as Vice Chancellor of Bihar Agricultural University. [15]

References
  1. Kumar, Avinash. "Nitish Kumar draws RJD fire for appointing scam-tainted Mewalal Choudhary education minister". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  2. "मेवालाल चौधरीः अब बनाए गए मंत्री, पर तब नीतीश ने कर दिया था निष्काषित; पत्नी भी रहीं JDU विधायक". jansatta. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  3. "Bihar Cabinet Portfolio Allocation: CM Nitish Keeps Home, Tarkishore Gets Finance". india.com. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  4. "Despite a perfect 'caste' balancing exercise, no Muslim could find place in Nitish Kumar's new cabinet in Bihar". Times of India. Retrieved 17 November 2020. Among the four backward caste ministers, two –Bijendra Prasad Yadav (Ahir) and Mewalal Choudhary (Koeri) hail from the JD(U), while the rest two – Deputy CM Tarkishore Prasad (Kalwar) and Ram Surat Kumar (Ahir) are the BJP legislators.
  5. "BJP's social engineering on display as Nitish takes oath as Bihar CM with new NDA colleagues". theprint. Retrieved 17 November 2020. Little-known Sheela Mandal was also sworn in and so was Mewa Lal Choudhary, a Kushwaha and former vice-chancellor of Bihar Agricultural University in Sabour. Choudhary had once faced corruption charges and had underground as he was expelled from the party.
  6. "JDU की पूर्व विधायक नीता चौधरी का निधन, CM नीतीश ने व्यक्त किया शोक". livehindustan.com. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  7. "Tarapur Election Result 2020 Live Updates: Mewa Lal Choudhary of JDU Wins". News18. 10 November 2020. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  8. "Cane and Bamboo Technology Centre (CBTC)" (PDF). cbtc.org.
  9. "Mewalal Chaudhary" (PDF). Bihar Vidhan Sabha. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  10. "Bihar Assembly disrupted over JD(U) MLA Mewalal Chaudhary's arrest". New Indian Express. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  11. Kumar, Avinash. "Nitish Kumar draws RJD fire for appointing scam-tainted Mewalal Choudhary education minister". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  12. "Former IPS officer seeks probe into death of education minister Mewa Lal Choudharys wife, sparks political row". Zee Business. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  13. "RJD targets Nitish over corruption case against his minister". Indian Express. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  14. "करप्शन के आरोप पर मेवालाल की चुप्पी, आरजेडी का वार-जेडीयू का पलटवार". Aajtak. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  15. "Bihar education minister Mewalal Choudhary resigns over corruption row". Times of India. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
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