The odd one out in MPs seeking Tharoor as IT panel head is BJP UP leader, educationist

BJP MP Anil Agrawal has joined Opposition members of the Parliament IT panel in urging Speaker Om Birla to restore Congress MP Shashi Tharoor as its chairman

BJP MP Dr Anil Agrawal (Image: India Govt website)

BJP MP Dr Anil Agrawal is among the five members of the Parliament Standing Committee on Information Technology, who wrote a joint letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla last Saturday urging him to restore Congress MP Shashi Tharoor as the panel’s chairman while contending that the government’s decision to change its chairpersonship in the middle of the 17th Lok Sabha has come as “utter shock” to them. The other four members of the panel who wrote to the Speaker in this regard are from the Opposition parties.

Agrawal, a teacher and educationist by profession, got elected as a BJP member of the Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh in April 2018. Since then, he has served as a member on several Parliamentary panels including the Standing Committee on Urban Development, Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology, Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Joint Committee on the Biological Diversity (Amendment) Bill, 2021, and Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare.

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Since July 2022, he has been a member of the Council of Schools of Planning and Architecture.

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When contacted, Agrawal told The Indian Express: “He (Tharoor) was outgoing… so I said he did well. That was my spirit… every chairman who completes his tenure, every member says he did well and we hope he shall continue.” Asked about his name in the letter with Opposition MPs, he said: “I have very good relations (sadbhav) with him (Tharoor). But I cannot go against my party’s wishes… I came to know about the letter only at about 6-7 pm in the evening. In India, we always speak good about the outgoing. That was my intention.”

Born on October 31, 1962 in Haridwar (in Uttarakhand), Agrawal studied for his B.E. (Civil), MBA and Ph.D in various educational institutions in the country, including Siddaganga Institute of Technology, Tumkur and Bangalore University, Bangalore, and abroad.

Agrawal has also served as the senior vice-president of the Uttar Pradesh Handball Association and as the vice-president of the Uttar Pradesh Olympics Association. He has also been an office-bearer of the Yoga Federation of India.

Agrawal has visited several countries including Singapore, Hong Kong, Macau, Mauritius, U.K., France and U.A.E.

Harikishan Sharma

Harikishan Sharma, Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express' National Bureau, specializes in reporting on governance, policy, and data. He covers the Prime Minister’s Office and pivotal central ministries, such as the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Ministry of Cooperation, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Ministry of Rural Development, and Ministry of Jal Shakti. His work primarily revolves around reporting and policy analysis. In addition to this, he authors a weekly column titled "STATE-ISTICALLY SPEAKING," which is prominently featured on The Indian Express website. In this column, he immerses readers in narratives deeply rooted in socio-economic, political, and electoral data, providing insightful perspectives on these critical aspects of governance and society. ... Read More

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