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Ram Madhav
Varanasi Ram Madhav (born 22 August 1964) is an Indian politician who served as the National General Secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party.[2][3] He is a member of the National Executive of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and has authored a few books. His latest is Uneasy Neighbours: India and China after Fifty Years of the War.[4][5][6] Early lifeMadhav was born in the East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh on 22 August 1964.[7] Primarily a student of engineering, he earned his Diploma in Electrical Engineering from Andhra Pradesh.[6] He also has a post-graduate degree in Political Science from the University of Mysore, Karnataka.[8] Political careerMadhav's association with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) began during his teenage years. In 1981, he volunteered to become a full-time worker for the RSS and was subsequently assigned to various key positions within the organization.[9] He also served as the editor of Bharatiya Pragna, a monthly magazine published in English by Pragna Bharati,[8] and as the associate editor of Jagriti, a Telugu weekly.[10] Over a career spanning more than 20 years, Madhav worked as a journalist for RSS-sponsored publications and authored over twelve books. Additionally, he serves as a member of the Board of Governors at India Foundation, a think tank based in New Delhi that focuses on the issues, challenges, and opportunities of Indian polity.[11] He is also a mentor at Vision India Foundation, a New Delhi-based organization dedicated to promoting public leadership among youth.[12][13] Madhav was the national spokesperson for the RSS from 2003 to 2014. In 2014, he was seconded to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), where he was appointed as one of its national general secretaries.[9] During his tenure, Madhav is credited with playing a significant role in the rise of the BJP in North East India and in building alliances with regional parties.[14][15]
Personal viewsForeign policyHe has called for India to take a more "proactive role in the region" in order to check China's One Belt One Road Initiative.[16] He was involved in the BJP's entry into the International Democrat Union, a worldwide grouping of right of centre political parties.[17] ReceptionMehdi Hasan's interviewDuring an appearance on the talk show Head to Head, hosted by Mehdi Hasan, Madhav made a comment referring to "your ISIS" in the context of a heated discussion on Hindu nationalism.[18] This phrase sparked controversy, with Madhav later explaining it as a "slip of the tongue" or cross-linguistic error and clarifying that it was a general figure of speech in Hindi, where the word "aapka" (your) is commonly used in such discussions and not meant to target any individual, including Hasan.[19][20] It was pointed out by some that the comment, while unfortunate, was a typical expression in Hindi and did not carry the negative connotation it might appear to have in English. The phrase was not meant to target anyone specifically. However, Hasan's decision to amplify the incident by discussing it on social media was seen as unprofessional by some observers, as it played into the controversy rather than addressing the context of the remark.[21][22] Biblography
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