Meenakshi Lekhi

Meenakashi Lekhi
Minister of State for External Affairs
In office
7 July 2021 – 11 June 2024
Prime MinisterNarendra Modi
MinisterS. Jaishankar
Succeeded byPabitra Margherita
Minister of State for Culture
In office
7 July 2021 – 11 June 2024
Prime MinisterNarendra Modi
MinisterG. Kishan Reddy
Preceded byPrahlad Singh Patel
Succeeded byRao Inderjit Singh
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
In office
5 June 2014 – 4 June 2024
Preceded byAjay Maken
Succeeded byBansuri Swaraj
ConstituencyNew Delhi
Chairperson of Public Undertakings Committee
In office
30 October 2019 – 13 August 2021
Preceded byShanta Kumar
Succeeded bySantosh Gangwar
Chairperson of Parliamentary Privileges Committee
In office
20 July 2016 – 29 October 2019
Preceded byS. S. Ahluwalia
Succeeded byHarivansh Narayan Singh
Personal details
Born (1967-04-30) 30 April 1967 (age 57)
New Delhi, India
Political partyBharatiya Janata Party
SpouseAman Lekhi
Children2
Alma materFaculty of Law, University of Delhi
Occupation
  • Lawyer
  • politician

Meenakshi Lekhi (born 30 April 1967) is an Indian politician who served as the Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture of India from 7 July 2021 till 10 June 2024. She was a Member of Parliament from New Delhi Parliamentary constituency in the 16th and 17th Lok Sabha from the Bharatiya Janata Party.[1] She is also a lawyer in the Supreme Court of India.

She won the high-profile New Delhi parliamentary constituency as a BJP candidate in the 2014 elections and was re-elected in 2019.[2] In July 2016, she was appointed as chairperson of the Committee on Privileges of the Lok Sabha in Parliament.[3] On 26 July 2019, Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla appointed Lekhi as a chairperson of parliamentary committee on Public Undertakings[4] and is continuing since then in that position.

Besides writing articles in journals, periodicals and newspapers on socio-political issues, she participates in various television shows on matters on national and international importance. Lekhi writes 'Forthwrite',[5] a fortnightly column in The Week magazine. With her equal command over English and Hindi, she comes as a good debater in the parliament where she has participated in numerous debates on matters of national importance in the Lok Sabha, such as debates on "intolerance" in India[6] and the Triple Talaq Bill.[7] She has also distinguished herself as an active participant in the various parliamentary processes and was awarded with the "Best Debut Women Parliamentarian" award by Lokmat in 2017.[8]

  1. ^ /Loksabha/Members/MemberBioprofile.aspx?mpsno=4717
  2. ^ "Election Commission of India". Archived from the original on 4 June 2015. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  3. ^ "BJP leader Meenakshi Lekhi appointed chairperson of Lok Sabha privileges committee". The Indian Express. 22 July 2016. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  4. ^ "दो कमेटियों का गठनः कांग्रेसी चौधरी एक के तो दूसरे की लेखी अध्यक्ष". Jansatta (in Hindi). 26 July 2019. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
  5. ^ "Meenakshi Lekhi". The Week.
  6. ^ "Intolerance debate: Cong banned books to protect image of dynasty, says Meenakshi Lekhi" on Firstpost, 30 November 2015.
  7. ^ "Triple Talaq Debate: Muslim women should not worry when they have a brother like PM Modi, says BJP". www.indiatvnews.com. 28 December 2017.
  8. ^ "lokmat award for best RS, lS lawmakers" on the pioneer, 20 July 2017.