Tejasvi Surya

Lakya Suryanarayana Tejasvi[1] (born 16 November 1990), better known as Tejasvi Surya, is an Indian politician, RSS swayamsevak and lawyer at the Karnataka High Court. He is the Member of Parliament in the 17th Lok Sabha from the Bharatiya Janata Party, representing the Bangalore South constituency.[2][3] He is also the president of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha since 26 September 2020.

Tejasvi Surya
Tejasvi Surya in 2019
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
Assumed office
23 May 2019 (2019-05-23)
Preceded byAnanth Kumar
ConstituencyBangalore South
Majority331,192 (27.87%)
National President of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha
Assumed office
26 September 2020 (2020-09-26)
Preceded byPoonam Mahajan
Personal details
Born
Lakya Suryanarayana Tejasvi

(1990-11-16) 16 November 1990
Bangalore, Karnataka, India
NationalityIndian
Political partyBharatiya Janata Party
RelativesRavi Subramanya
(uncle)
OccupationPolitician
ProfessionLawyer
Websitetejasvisurya.in

Early and personal life

Tejasvi Surya was born in Bangalore, Karnataka on 16 November 1990 to mother Rama and father L. A. Suryanarayana, who had previously been Joint Commissioner of Excise.[4][5][6] At the age of 9, he sold his paintings and donated the amount to the Army's Kargil fund.[1] He was then awarded the National Balashree Honour in 2001 while studying at Sri Kumaran Children’s Home, Thyagarajanagar.[6] He later graduated from Bangalore Institute of Legal Studies with a Bachelor of Academic Law and an LLB.[7] He is trained in Carnatic music and founded an NGO called Arise India, which works in the area of school education.[8] He has previously written for IndiaFacts.[7] Surya considers B. R. Ambedkar as an inspiration since childhood.[9]

Political career

Early years

Surya was an active member of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and was even the General Secretary of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM).[10] He had actively contributed to the Bharatiya Janata Party campaign for the 2014 Indian general election[11] and in 2017 he helped organise the BJP's 'Mangalore Chalo' rally.[12] He then led the Digital Communications Team of Karnataka BJP during the 2018 Karnataka Legislative Assembly election.[11] As a lawyer, he had represented many BJP leaders like Mahesh Hegde (editor of Post-Card News), Pratap Simha (MP from Mysore) and had helped lawyer Ashok Haranhalli in defending corruption cases of B.S. Yeddyurappa.[13] He has been mentored by R. Ashoka and V. Somanna,[14] while his uncle, Ravi Subramanya, is a senior leader of the BJP and an MLA representing Basavanagudi.[15]

17th Lok Sabha
Tejasvi Surya speaking at a public meeting

The Bangalore South (Lok Sabha constituency) was governed since 1996 by former minister Ananth Kumar until his death in 2018. Tejasvi Surya was chosen to contest for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from this constituency over Kumar's wife, Tejaswini Ananth Kumar, due to his previous work.[11] While she initially had the support of BJP Karnataka state president B.S. Yeddyurappa, senior BJP and RSS leader B.L. Santosh convinced the party's leadership to choose Surya.[16] He won the elections by defeating B. K. Hariprasad of Congress by 3,31,192 votes,[7] making him the youngest MP to represent the BJP, after having assumed office at the age of 28 years, 6 months, 7 days.[17][18]

Surya took oath as an MP in Kannada on 17 June 2019.[19] In June 2019, he requested the central government to revert its 2014 decision to remove the requirement of knowing the local language in the recruitment for banks.[20][21] On 10 July 2019, during the Zero Hour, Surya requested the Home Minister Amit Shah to extend the National Register of Citizens (NRC) to Karnataka, citing the increasing influx of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in his state.[22][23][24][25][26] When a holy site was vandalised in Hampi, Surya raised the issue in Parliament, urging the government to ensure better security for the country's sacred monuments.[27][28] He sought to know whether the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare would ban electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), including e-cigarettes.[29][30]

In October 2019, Surya expressed his concern over the short term for the city's Mayor. He urged the Chief Minister of Karnataka to draft and pass an exclusive legislation for Bangalore, the Nava Bengaluru Act, to replace the Karnataka Municipalities Act, 1975.[31] On the problem of garbage in Bangalore, Surya responded that he could only bring it to the notice of the authorities and suggested to scold them. He then claimed he lacked any authority to solve the problem. This response received mixed criticism from the public.[32]

During the COVID-19 pandemic in India, Surya launched a Bangalore South coronavirus task force, which included free home delivery of essential goods, emergency medical assistance,[33][34] and mobile COVID-19 testing kiosks.[35]

Political views

Surya is a strong supporter of Hindutva.[36] He credits Swami Vivekananda, BR Ambedkar, Aurobindo and Vir Savarkar for inspiring him and shaping his ideology of Hindutva and Indian cultural pride.[14] He is an RSS swayamsevak and has been a supporter of same-sex marriage.[37] He attributed the Citizenship Amendment Act protests to be led by 'uneducated, illiterate, and puncture-wallahs'. He also said 'namby-pamby secularism had no place in new India'.[38] Surya had previously called the supporters of Narendra Modi as patriots, and claimed that those who did not support Modi were "anti-India". On another occasion, he had said that the "BJP should unapologetically be a party for Hindus".[36][39]

Allegations of misconduct

The Indian National Congress, an Indian political party, shared screenshots of tweets posted by a woman who alleged that Surya had abused her.[40] Following this and the announcement of his Lok Sabha candidature, Surya obtained a temporary injunction against 49 media outlets and social media platforms, restraining them from publishing any "defamatory statements" against him.[41][42] In April 2019, Surya was summoned by the Karnataka State Commission for Women for his alleged abuse of the woman, in addition to a tweet of his that opposed reservations for women (after Mahila Congress lodged complaint against him).[43][44] The Commission later dropped the case at the request of the woman in question, who wrote that she and Surya were "good friends" and that the complaint against him by the Congress was "politically motivated".[45][46] Surya's 2015 tweet quoting Tarek Fatah's sexual remarks on Arab women was criticised by Sanjay Jha and the citizens of Arab countries in April 2020.[8][47]

References
  1. "School boy sells paintings, raises money for Kargil victims". The Indian Express. 21 July 1998.
  2. "Bangalore South Lok Sabha election Live: Tejasvi Surya won", 2019 Indian general election, 24 May 2019, archived from the original on 28 May 2019, retrieved 24 May 2019
  3. "Another abusive tweet by BJP MP Candidate Tejasvi Surya spotted". Times of Assam. 28 March 2019. Archived from the original on 28 March 2019. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
  4. "Surya, Shri L.S. Tejasvi". Lok Sabha. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  5. "In Midnight Surprise, BJP Picks Young Face Tejasvi Over Ananthkumar's Wife from Bengaluru South". News18. 27 March 2019. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  6. Kappan, Rasheed (28 January 2002). "The Hindu : Whizkid bags awards, laurels". The Hindu. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  7. Choudhary, Akanksha (24 May 2019). "Meet Tejasvi Surya, the MP-elect from Bangalore South". Citizen Matters, Bengaluru. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  8. Swamy, Rohini (21 April 2020). "'Arab women orgasm to Shaheen Bagh Mughals', BJP MP Tejasvi Surya can't resist controversy". ThePrint. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  9. "जाणून घ्या, भाजपाच्या सर्वात तरुण खासदाराविषयी; डॉ. बाबासाहेब आंबेडकर त्याचे प्रेरणास्थान". Loksatta (in Marathi). 24 May 2019. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  10. "From Head Boy to lower house of Parliament: The meteoric rise of Tejasvi Surya". DNA India.
  11. Dwarakanath, Nagarjun (26 March 2019). "Who is Tejasvi Surya, the 28-year-old BJP candidate from Bangalore South?". India Today. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  12. Swamy, Rohini (26 March 2019). "Why BJP chose Tejasvi Surya for Bengaluru South over Ananth Kumar's widow Tejaswini". ThePrint. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  13. Balakrishnan, Deepa; Pereira, Stacy. "From Assistant Head Boy in School to MP Ticket, The Meteoric Rise of BJP's Bangalore South Candidate Tejasvi Surya". News18. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  14. Shiva Shankar, B. V. (26 May 2019). "I am committed to Hindutva ideology: Tejasvi Surya". The Times of India. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  15. "Tejasvi Surya: Debutant MP is millennial neta, Hindutva mascot". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  16. Swamy, Rohini (30 March 2019). "Modi, Ananth Kumar & I are main factors in Bangalore South seat: Tejasvi Surya". ThePrint. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  17. M, Akshatha (27 March 2019). "Tejasvi Surya: OMG! A 28-year-old rookie in a BJP stronghold". The Economic Times. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
  18. "BJP gets its youngest MP from Bengaluru- Business News". Business Today. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
  19. Sheriff M, Kaunain (18 June 2019). "Will raise issues related to Bengaluru's crumbling infrastructure in Parliament: Tejasvi Surya". The Indian Express. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  20. "Tejasvi Surya bats for bank jobs for Kannadigas". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  21. "IBPS RRB to be conducted in 13 regional languages: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman". The Indian Express. 4 July 2019. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  22. "Now, BJP MP Tejasvi Surya demands NRC in Karnataka". The Hindu. 10 July 2019. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  23. "Tejasvi Surya wants NRC in Karnataka 'due to influx of Bangladeshi immigrants'". The News Minute. 11 July 2019. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  24. "Discussions ongoing for implementation of NRC in Karnataka, says state Home Minister Bommai". Business Standard India. 3 October 2019.
  25. "Karnataka government mulling introducing NRC in state". Telegraph India.com. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  26. "Now, Karnataka plans to roll out NRC". Deccan Herald. 3 October 2019. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  27. "Tejaswi Surya Raises Issue of Hampi Holy Site Vandalism in Lok Sabha, Govt Assures Action". News18. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  28. "Govt assures action after Hampi holy site vandalised". India Today. 18 July 2019. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  29. MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE, GOVERNMENT OF INDIA. "LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.4407 TO BE ANSWERED ON 19TH JULY, 2019" (PDF). Loksabha Questions. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  30. Delhi, 29 September, India Today Web Desk New. "PM Modi's Mann Ki Baat: E-cigarettes banned to prevent India from being destroyed". India Today. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  31. "Mayoral polls now is a game of musical chairs: Tejasvi". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  32. Pinto, Nolan (23 October 2019). "Bengaluru South MP's solution to solve garbage crisis: Scold the people". India Today. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  33. Arakal, Ralph Alex (12 April 2020). "COVID-19: Now, dial or text helpline number for doorstep delivery of essentials in Bengaluru". Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  34. "Coronavirus: Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya's online delivery of essentials gaining ground". Deccan Herald. 11 April 2020. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  35. "Bengaluru gets mobile testing kiosks for COVID-19". thenewsminute. 16 April 2020. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  36. "Elections 2019: Tejasvi Surya becomes youngest BJP MP with win in Bangalore South". Scroll.in. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
  37. Satija, Garima (26 May 2019). "Bollywood's Openly Gay Celebs Laud BJP's MP-Elect Tejasvi Surya's Views On Same-Sex Marriage". IndiaTimes. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  38. "BJP MP Tejasvi Surya says only 'puncture-wallahs' opposing CAA, draws flak". 24 December 2019. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  39. "'Call Me A Bigot': Twitter Dug Out BJP Candidate Tejasvi Surya's Old Tweets, And It Ain't Pretty". HuffPost India. 27 March 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  40. "Is Tejasvi Surya next MJ Akbar, asks Congress as abuse charge surfaces against BJP candidate". India Today. 28 March 2019. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
  41. "Lift the gag". The Indian Express. 2 April 2019. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  42. "Poll-time censorship: on gag order obtained by BJP's Tejasvi Surya". The Hindu. 3 April 2019. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
  43. "Women's commission summons Tejasvi Surya". The Hindu. 4 April 2019. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  44. "Karnataka High Court Sets Aside Gag Order Obtained by BJP's Tejasvi Surya". The Wire. 12 April 2019. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  45. "Women's panel drops complaint against Surya". Deccan Herald. 24 April 2019. Retrieved 8 March 2020. I haven’t filed any complaint against Tejasvi and we are good friends. The complaint by Congress leaders was politically motivated to ruin the political career of Surya, which should be dropped.
  46. "Women's panel drops charges against Bengaluru South BJP candidate Tejasvi Surya LS". The Times of India. 24 April 2019. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  47. Rakesh, K.M. (21 April 2020). "Arab fury erupts on BJP MP for tweet on women". Telegraph India. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
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