Vidya Charan Shukla

Infobox_Indian_politician
name = Vidya Charan Shukla


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party =ncp|ncp]
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date = December 2
year = 2006 | source =

Vidya Charan Shukla was born on 2nd August 1928 at Raipur (CP & Berar). His father Pandit Ravi Shankar Shukla was an illustrious lawyer, freedom fighter, veteran Congressman, premier of CP & Berar and the first chief Minister of reorganised Madhya Pradesh. Vidya Charan Shukla graduated from Morris College Nagpur in 1951. He started Allwyn Cooper Private Ltd which was organized big game safari & photo expeditions of wild life in Central Indian jungles. The company grew into a global big game safari company and was attracting clients from all over the world especially from Europe and USA.

For the general elections in 1957 the congress party chose him as their Lok Sabha candidate from Mahasamund constituency. He won with a thumping majority and entered the Parliament of India as one of the youngest Member. Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru was happy to meet this young, promising Congressman from Madhya Pradesh. He returned elected to Lok Sabha 9 times in subsequent elections. When Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi became Prime Minister in 1966 she chose him as Minister in her Cabinet.In a long span of political carrier he has held virtually all portfolios including Communications, Home, Defence, Finance, Planning, Information & Broadcasting, Civil Supplies, External Affairs, Parliamentary Affairs and Water Resources. He is a known defender of Congress and Sonia Gandhi gives much weightage to this veteran Congressman who has had the longest innings in the Indian Parliament.

External links

* [http://parliamentofindia.nic.in/ls/lok10/mp712.htm Profile on Loksabha website]