Jayanthi Natarajan
{{Short description|Indian lawyer and politician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=January 2019}}
{{BLP sources|date=September 2009}}
{{Infobox Indian politician
| name = Jayanthi Natarajan
| image = Jayanthi Natarajan addressing at the High Level Meeting on "Wellbeing and Happiness Defining a New Economic Paradigm", in New York, on April 02, 2012 (1).jpg
| caption = Jayanthi Natarajan in New York 2012
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1954|6|7|df=y}}
| birth_place = Madras, Madras State(now Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India)
| residence = New Delhi/Chennai
| alma_mater = Ethiraj College for Women
| death_date =
| death_place =
| office1 = Minister of Environment and Forests (Independent Charge)
| primeminister1 = Manmohan Singh
| term_start1 = 12 July 2011
| term_end1 = 20 December 2013 (resigned)
| office2 = Minister of State for Coal, Civil Aviation and Parliamentary Affairs
| primeminister2 = Inder Kumar Gujral
| term_start2 = 1997
| term_end2 = 1998
| office3 = Member of Parliament – Rajya Sabha from Tamil Nadu
| term_start3 = 2008
| term_end3 = 2014
| term_start4 = 1986
| term_end4 = 2002
| party = *Indian National Congress
(1982–1997;2002–2015)
(1997–2002)
| spouse = V. K. Natarajan
| children = 1 (son)
| website =
| footnotes =
| date = 26 January |
| year = 2007 |
| source = http://www.archive.india.gov.in/govt/rajyasabhampbiodata.php?mpcode=194
}}
Jayanthi Natarajan (born 7 June 1954) is an Indian lawyer and politician. She was a member of the Indian National Congress and has been thrice elected Member of Parliament representing the state of Tamil Nadu in the Rajya Sabha. From July 2011 to December 2013, she was the Minister of Forests and Environment (Independent Charge). She resigned as Minister of Environment and Forest on 21 December 2013. On 30 January 2015, she announced in a press conference at Chennai that she would be resigning from the Congress party alleging that "specific requests" by Rahul Gandhi were the basis of whether industrial projects were given clearances by her ministry, and that he shifted from a pro-environmental position to corporate-friendly stand for the elections in 2014.{{cite web|url=http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/former-upa-minister-jayanthi-natarajan-quits-congress-attacks-rahul-gandhi-in-explosive-letter-735701 |title=With Attack on Rahul Gandhi, Former Minister Jayanthi Natarajan Quits Congress |publisher=Ndtv.com |date=2015-01-30 |access-date=2018-05-03}}
Early years
Jayanthi Natarajan was born in Madras, India. She was born to Dr. C R Sundararajan and Rukmini Sundararajan. Jayanthi Natarajan is the niece of notable social worker Sarojini Varadappan. Her maternal grandfather was M. Bakthavatsalam, a prominent Congress politician and the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu between 1963 and 1967. She did her schooling from a prominent Chennai school, Sacred Heart Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Church Park. Jayanthi studied at Ethiraj College for Women before pursuing law and became a practicing advocate in Madras. Apart from her commercial practice, she also did pro bono work for a number of social organizations including the All India Women's Conference, and the legal aid board. She also worked briefly as a newscaster for Doordarshan Kendra, Madras {{Cite web |url=http://rajyasabha.nic.in/kiosk/whoswho/alpha_n6.htm |title=Natarajan, Shrimati Jayanthi |access-date=2007-01-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928004716/http://rajyasabha.nic.in/kiosk/whoswho/alpha_n6.htm |archive-date=2007-09-28 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |author=Published: Friday, 27 October 2006, 17:43 [IST] |url=http://news.oneindia.in/2006/10/27/jayanthi-natarajan-bereaved-1161951210.html |title=Jayanthi Natarajan bereaved – Oneindia News |publisher=News.oneindia.in |date=2006-10-27 |access-date=2018-05-03 |archive-date=24 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224115535/http://news.oneindia.in/2006/10/27/jayanthi-natarajan-bereaved-1161951210.html |url-status=dead }}
Political career
=Congress Years=
Her political career began when she was noticed by Rajiv Gandhi in the 1980s. She was first elected to the Rajya Sabha in 1986 and once again in 1992.
=Tamil Maanila Congress=
During the 90's Jayanthi Natarajan and other leaders from Tamil Nadu who were unhappy with Narasimha Rao decided to break away from the party. They founded the Tamil Maanila Congress under G K Moopanar. Jayanthi Natarajan resigned from the Rajya Sabha and was re-elected in 1997 as a TMC member.
The TMC was allied with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in Tamil Nadu and was a part of the United Front government in the centre. Jayanthi Natarajan was appointed Minister of State for Coal, Civil Aviation and Parliamentary Affairs in 1997.
=Return to the Congress=
With Moopanar's death, the TMC leaders decided to merge with the Congress. Jayanthi Natarajan was noticed by Sonia Gandhi and appointed spokesperson for the party. She replaced Mr. Jairam Ramesh as Environment Minister on 12 July 2011 in the UPA led Union Government. She served as the Minister of State for Environment and forests (Independent Charge) from 12 July 2011 to 20 December 2013. She was allegedly asked to resign from her post to work for the Congress party in the run up to the General Elections of 2014.{{cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Jayanthi-Natarajan-resigns-as-environment-minister/articleshow/27716308.cms | title=Jayanthi Natarajan resigns as environment minister | date=21 December 2013 | newspaper=The Times of India |access-date=20 January 2019 }}
=Resignation from the Congress Party=
Also see Sahara-Birla Diaries Scandal
Due to her name appearing in the Sahara Diaries amongst hundreds of politicians who had been paid for environmental clearances, Natarajan was asked by many in the Congress to resign due to accusations of corruption.{{cite journal |last1=Simha |first1=Vijay |title=The Zero Case: Deadly Implications of the Birla–Sahara Judgment |journal=Economic and Political Weekly |date=4 March 2017 |volume=52 |issue=9 |url=https://www.epw.in/journal/2017/9/web-exclusives/zero-case-deadly-implications-birla%E2%80%93sahara-judgment.html |access-date=5 November 2018}} This had been alluded to by Narendra Modi as "Jayanthi tax" during his 2014 election rhetoric. However, further evidence started to turn up in 2015. After the Sahara Diaries investigation Natarajan resigned from the Congress Party on 30 January 2015.{{cite web|author=Politics FP Politics 30 Jan 2015 11:30:29 IST |url=http://www.firstpost.com/politics/former-upa-minister-jayanthi-natarajan-quits-congress-blames-sonia-rahul-2071337.html |title=Jayanthi Natarajan quits Congress; blames Rahul in explosive letter |publisher=Firstpost |date=2015-01-30 |access-date=2018-05-03}} In a letter{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/full-text-of-jayanthi-natarajans-letter-to-sonia-gandhi/article6835522.ece |title=Exclusive: Jayanthi Natarajan's letter to Sonia Gandhi |work=The Hindu |date=29 January 2015 |access-date=2018-05-03}} written to Sonia Gandhi, Jayanti Natarajan accused the party machinery, Rahul Gandhi in particular, of having worked towards a campaign to malign her and her reputation. She also believed, according to the letter, that she was being made a scapegoat for the economic policy paralysis observed in the UPA-II government.{{cite news |title='Payments' to Environment Ministry led to Jayanthi Natarajan's sacking: Congress |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/payments-to-environment-ministry-led-to-jayanthi-natarajans-sacking-congress/articleshow/46072296.cms |access-date=5 November 2018 |publisher=Economic Times |date=31 January 2015}} She believed that while she took decisions of halting certain industrial and infrastructure projects at the behest of Mr. Rahul Gandhi, certain sections of the party spread rumors that she was made to resign on 20 December 2013 due to her stance on these projects. She planned to join with TMC, but noticing the strength of TMC she discarded the decision. The Congress maintained that it was the party which had asked Natarajan to resign. In September 2017, a CBI raid was carried out on her properties in Delhi and Chennai.{{cite news |title=CBI raids former UPA minister Jayanthi Natarajan's several properties in multiple cities, Delhi, Chennai |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2017/sep/09/cbi-raids-former-environment-minister-jayanthi-natarajans-properties-in-multiple-cities-including-c-1654663.html |access-date=5 November 2018 |publisher=New Indian Express |date=9 September 2017}}{{cite news |title=Watch: How Sahara Was Let Off the Hook in Bribery Scandal |url=https://thewire.in/politics/watch-how-sahara-was-let-off-the-hook-in-bribery-scandal |access-date=5 November 2018 |publisher=The Wire |date=6 January 2017}}{{cite news |title=SC Refuses Probe Into Sahara-Birla Papers, Bhushan Decries 'Setback to Fight for Probity' |url=https://thewire.in/law/sahara-birla-diaries-supreme-court |access-date=5 November 2018 |publisher=The Wire |date=11 January 2017}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{Cabinet of Manmohan Singh}}
{{Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (India)}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Natarajan, Jayanthi}}
Category:Environment ministers
Category:Union ministers of state of India
Category:Women union ministers of state of India
Category:Indian environmentalists
Category:Tamil Maanila Congress politicians
Category:Women in Tamil Nadu politics
Category:Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
Category:Indian National Congress politicians from Tamil Nadu
Category:Rajya Sabha members from Tamil Nadu
Category:Politicians from Chennai
Category:20th-century Indian women politicians
Category:20th-century Indian politicians
Category:21st-century Indian women politicians