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A defining image of Union minister Arjun Ram Meghwal dates back to 2015. As the BJP’s Chief Whip in the Lok Sabha at the time, Meghwal used to cycle to Parliament in his trademark Rajasthani turban, kurta-pyjama and a sleeveless jacket. A banner on his cycle, with the BJP’s colours in the background, would proclaim that he was the MP from Bikaner.
This symbolic image helped lend Meghwal an image of simplicity and humility – two traits that have stuck with him till this day. On Thursday, Meghwal replaced Kiren Rijiju as the Union Minister for Law and Justice. He will now handle this charge as Minister of State (Independent), along with his portfolios as MoS, Parliamentary Affairs and Culture.
The replacement of Rijiju, who has now been allotted the Earth Sciences Ministry, assumes significance in the backdrop of the growing instances of friction between the Supreme Court and Union government. Unlike Rijiju who often chose the hawkish line even on delicate subjects such as judiciary, Meghwal is seen as a low-profile, dedicated party man, who enjoys Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s confidence.
Meghwal’s appointment also comes ahead of the Assembly polls in Rajasthan, his home state. Considered the BJP’s Scheduled Caste (SC) face in the state, his appointment to the high-profile job is expected to consolidate the party’s support base among the community.
Given the tussle in the Rajasthan BJP ranks over chief ministership should the party win the elections this year, some believe Meghwal has now joined the long list of aspirants for the post.
The 69-year-old, who is a post-graduate in political science and also has law and MBA degrees, was a Rajasthan Administrative Services officer before being promoted to the IAS. Ahead of the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, Meghwal took voluntary retirement to contest from the Bikaner parliamentary constituency on a BJP ticket.
Interestingly, it was his run-ins with the Congress party which prompted Meghwal to take up politics. During the 2008 Assembly elections, he was transferred from Churu as Collector after Congress alleged that he was hand in glove with the BJP.
After Congress formed the government in December 2008, Meghwal was transferred four times in as many months.
Prior to the 2009 LS elections, the Bikaner seat was held by actor Dharmendra. But in 2009, it was declared an SC-reserved seat following delimitation, and the BJP invited Meghwal to contest. While the Congress’s Rewat Ram Panwar seemed to have an edge as a former MLA, Meghwal won by almost 20,000 votes.
By 2010, Meghwal had made it to the BJP’s National Executive and was named the vice-president of the party’s Rajasthan unit. In 2012, he moved a private member’s Bill against the Delhi High Court order decriminalising homosexuality. He was given the Best Parliamentarian award in 2013 under the UPA government.
Ahead of the 2014 elections, Meghwal’s prominence grew after he took on Congress leader Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadra over his alleged “illegal” land deals in Bikaner.
While the BJP came to power at the Centre that year, Meghwal too had a big win, defeating the Congress’s Shankar Pannu by a margin of over three lakh votes. He was then made the BJP Chief Whip in the Lok Sabha.
In 2016, Meghwal made his entry into Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Council of Ministers – as MoS, Finance and Corporate Affairs – as the party sought to balance the caste equations in Rajasthan after dropping Ganganagar MP and MoS, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Nihal Chand Meghwal. Also an SC leader, Nihal Chand’s exit followed a probe against him in a 2011 rape case.
Ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Meghwal faced stiff competition from the party and also within his family. Claiming that Meghwal was working against the BJP and dividing people along caste lines, seven-time MLA and Bikaner heavyweight Devi Singh Bhati resigned from the BJP and campaigned against Meghwal. The other challenger to Meghwal was his cousin Madan Gopal Meghwal – an IPS officer who also took voluntary retirement to plunge into politics – who was fielded opposite him by the Congress. But Meghwal defeated Madan by over 2.6 lakh votes.
As MoS, Ministry of Culture, Meghwal made a strong pitch for declaration of the Mangarh hillock in Rajasthan — where 1,500 Bhil tribal freedom fighters died in a clash with the British army on November 17, 1913 – as a monument of national importance. It is yet to be declared so.
He was instrumental in getting the national importance tag to Delhi’s Anang Tal lake, which is said to have been created in 1052 AD by Anang Pal Tomar, the founder king of Delhi.
Meghwal stirred controversy after the 2019 Pulwama attack when he said that India will stop the water of three eastern rivers flowing into Pakistan, saying the water would be used by either Punjab or Rajasthan.
In July 2020, amid the Covid-19 pandemic, Meghwal claimed that “Bhabhaji papad” could help create antibodies needed against Covid.
As Chief Whip earlier and MoS of Parliamentary Affairs now, Meghwal has been at the forefront of handling floor management for the BJP in the Lok Sabha. While the recent House sessions have been marked with acrimony and continuous disruptions, with legislation being passed without discussion, Meghwal personally has not invited any criticism.
On Thursday, after his elevation as the Law Minister, Meghwal told reporters: “I want to thank the Prime Minister for his faith in me. The Constitution teaches us everything we need to know. I will work according to that.”
Unlike Rijiju, who was a Cabinet minister, Meghwal has been elevated only as MoS (Independent). Earlier, Ramakant Khalap, who handled law and justice in the United Front government, and Arun Jaitley who did so under Atal Bihari Vajpayee government held the portfolio as MoS. Jaitley was later elevated to Cabinet minister.
— with inputs from Divya A, Delhi
