Pratap Chandra Sarangi is a minister of state in the government of India for Animal Husbandry, dairying and Fisheries and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. He is a politician from Balasore, Odisha and Serve as a National Executive member of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP).
Pratap Chandra Sarangi is an unlikely politician. A bachelor who lives in a thatched house, rides a bicycle and leads a simple life, the 64 years old MP from Balasore took oath as a minister of state in the Modi Goverment.
Political analysts said Sarangi’s inclusion in the central council of minister was aided by his RSS background. ‘’Of all the BJP MPs from Odisha, he was the most obvious choice. Apart from his RSS background, his legislative career was also better than that of others,’’ said Surya Narayan Mishra, former professor of political science in Utkal University.
Personal Details
Pratap Chandra Sarangi was born on 4th January 1955 in the village of Gopinathpur, Nilagiri, Balasore Odisha. In 2020 his age is (65years).
| Name: | Pratap Chandra Sarangi |
| Viral Name: | Pratap Sarangi |
| Born: | 4th January 1955 |
| Age: | 65 Years in 2020 |
| Height: | In Feet – 5 Feet 5 Inches In Cm – 165 cms In Mtr – 1.65 mtr |
| Weight: | In KG- 60 Kg In Lbs- 133 pounds |
| Profession: | Social Worker, Politician |
| Nationality: | Indian |
| Religion: | Hindu |
| Hometown: | Gopinathpur, Nilagiri, Balasore in Odisha. |
| Posts Held : | 2 Times MLA, MP and Now State Minister of MSME from 2019. |
| Current Address: | Balasore, Odisha |
| Zodiac Sign: | His zodiac sign is Capricorn. |
EARLY LIFE
Since his childhood, Sarangi was a spiritual seeker. Pratap wanted to become a monk of the Ramkrishna Math. From his childhood, he was a good student and loves to study but due to bad condition of family and lack of resources, he was unable to continue his studies.
FAMILY
Pratap Chandra sarangi belongs to a Utkala Brahmin Family. His father was Gobinda Chandra Sarangi. Name of his mother is not known, she died in 2018.
Pratap Chandra Sarangi is a bachelor and not married yet.
EDUCATION
He did his schooling from K.C. School, Nilgiri, Odisha in 1971. He pursued his graduation from the Fakir Mohan College, Balasore, Odisha in 1975.
CAREER
He wanted to be a monk in the Ramakrishna Math since his childhood days. He visited Belur Math in Howrah, West Bengal, to become a monk. The monk of Belur Math declined his request and told him that he should not become a monk, as his mother was a widow and alive, so he should take care of her.
However, Sarangi was keen on serving people, so he joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
Pratap became very popular in his area as everybody in his village knew that he genuinely wanted to help people and would do so in any way possible. He did many things for the betterment of the people in his village. He started Ekal Vidyalayas (village schools with a single school teacher) in the interiors of Odisha to help the children who could not afford to go to school. Pratap later joined the Bajrang Dal, and eventually, became the President of the Bajrang Dal in 1999.
Pratap Chandra Sarangi was virtually unknown outside the state of Orissa, until he became a social media sensation this week. A picture of the austerely-clad man leaving his bamboo hut to take the oath won him hearts in India, where rags to riches stories always strike a chord.
But despite his newfound popularity, Mr Sarangi has a chequered past.
Controversies
He was the leader of the Bajrang Dal, a hardline rightwing group, when a Hindu mob brutally killed Australian Christian missionary Graham Staines and his two children in 1999. Christian community leaders accused the Bajrang Dal of the killings, but an official inquiry found no evidence that anyone group was behind the attack.
After a lengthy trial, Dara Singh, a man with links to the group, and 12 others were convicted in 2003. But the high court in Orissa commuted a death sentence for Singh two years later. It also freed 11 others who were given life terms in prison, saying there was not enough evidence to support their convictions
Orissa-based journalist Sandeep Sahu says that Mr Sarangi has given several interviews, including to him, in which he spoke passionately against what he called the “evil designs” of Christian missionaries who are “bent on converting the whole of India”. India court backs life term for Graham Staines murderer
He added that while Mr Sarangi had condemned the deaths of the two children in the attack on the Staines, he had held fast to his views against conversion.
He was also arrested on charges of rioting, arson, assault and damaging government property after a 2002 attack on the Orissa state assembly by Hindu rightwing groups, including the Bajrang Dal.
However, it is not that reputation which has taken centre stage on social media, but pictures of his austere lifestyle.
Campaign with PM Narendra Modi
Interestingly, PM Modi campaigned for Pratap Chandra Sarangi, an RSS ideologue, in Balasore and now he has inducted Sarangi into his council of ministers.
Pratap Chandra Sarangi, an RSS ideologue who took the oath of office as Minister of State is not associated with things that politicians are usually known for. While his political rivals can boast of largesse election campaigning using luxury cars in tow and employing professional services, Sarangi hired auto-rickshaws to seek votes for him and relied mostly on his upright stance and in-depth knowledge on a vast range of issues.
He is popular among the masses for his sharp intellect, his firebrand oratory skills in both Odia and Sanskrit, and riding around the villages in a bicycle.
Sarangi, who comes from a humble background, is loved for his selfless service and widely respected across Odisha for his honesty. According to reports, few days after Cyclone Fani ravaged parts of Odisha, he rendered his selfless service and tirelessly cleaned the broken tree branches strewn around in the coastal town of Puri. Even earlier, he could be spotted eating vada and Aalu chop from roadside vendors in Bhubaneswar.
Lok Sabha Elections
Pratap Chandra Sarangi, an RSS ideologue who took the oath of office as Minister of State is not associated with things that politicians are usually known for. While his political rivals can boast of largesse election campaigning using luxury cars in tow and employing professional services, Sarangi hired auto-rickshaws to seek votes for himself and relied mostly on his upright stance and in-depth knowledge on a vast range of issues.
He is popular among the masses for his sharp intellect, his firebrand oratory skills in both Odia and Sanskrit, and riding around the villages in a bicycle.
Riding on a strong wave of support, he won the 2019 General elections from Balasore Lok Sabha seat in Odisha even though he was pitted against two prominent millionaire candidates – BJD’s Rabindra Kumar Jena and Congress candidate Nabajyoti Patnaik. In a close contest, he defeated Jena with a margin of 12,956 votes. Sarangi got 4.83 lakh votes against Jena’s 4.70 lakhs votes. On the one side, he had sitting MP and politician-cum-industrialist Rabindra Kumar Jena in contest, while on the other hand, he faced a serious challenge from Congress state president and nominee Nabajyoti Patnaik, who enjoyed a family legacy in politics.
Sarangi has served as a two-time MLA from Nilagiri seat in Balasore as an independent candidate and has been known for raising issues of public importance. In the 2014 general elections, he had contested on a BJP ticket from Balasore Lok Sabha seat but lost to Jena by 1.42 lakh votes.
His own goodwill among the voters, supplemented by PM Narendra Modi’s wave, and his image of a Hindutva leader acted as a catalyst in his journey to the Parliament.
SOCIAL MEDIA
| Twitter ID: | His Twitter handle is @pcsarangi and he has 142.7 K followers. |
| Facebook ID: | His Facebook ID is PCSodisha and he has 165 K followers. |
| Contact: | [email protected] |
| Address: | BJP Balasore Office, Royal Queen, Infront of Maheswaree Bhawan, Sahadev Khunta, Balasore, 756001 |
NET WORTH & SALARY
| Net Worth: | His net worth is estimated to be Rs.13.46 Lakhs as in 2019. |
| Salary: | Rs.1 Lakh + and additional allowances as Minister of State |
Assets & Properties
| Bank Deposits: | Rs.3.81 Lakhs |
| Bonds & Debentures: | Rs.50,000 |
| Movable Assets: | Rs.4.46 Lakhs |
| Immovable Assets: | Rs.9.00 Lakhs |
INTEREST AND PASSION
| Favorite Book: | Rebuild India-By Swami Vivekanand |
| Passion: | Reading Books and Biographies, Poem Writing |
| Interests: | Social Work, Helping The Poor & Distressed |
| Favorite Music: | Ram Dhoon |
| Favorite TV Programs: | Ramayan, Mahabharat, Chandragupta Maurya |
| Yoga: | He does yoga every day. |
AWARDS & ACCOLADES
| Year | Award |
| 2012 | Best Legislator Award |
| 2017 | Odisha Citizen Award |
POSTS HELD SO FAR
| Posts | Organisation |
| President | Bajrangdal, Odisha |
| Joint Secretary | Viswa Hindu Parishad, Odisha |
| General Secretary | Akhil Bharat Gobausha Rakshana Sambardhana Parishad, Odisha Branch |
| Rastriya Adhyaksha | Amitavance Seva Pratisthan |
| Secretary | Vivekananda Study circle, Nilgiri. |
| M.L.A. (2004-09) | Nilgiri Constituency |
| M.L.A. (2009-14) | Nilgiri Constituency |
| M.P. (2019-current) | Balasore |
| Minister of State (2019-current) | Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries and MSME Government of India. |
Lesser Known Facts
- Pratap Sarangi lives a very simple life. He lives in a hut and has very few belongings.
- He loves children and often spends time with them and reads them stories, teaches them, and plays cricket with them.
- During the 2019 General Elections, he campaigned all over Balasore in an auto.
- Everybody in his village calls him Nana and they respect and treat him as an elder brother.
The day he took the oath as a Minister Of State (MOS), he was asked about his upcoming lifestyle to which he replied-
My lifestyle has been like this since childhood. It is not going to change now that I have become an MP. I believe in living and working for the people and the country and I am going to follow that throughout my life”
He claims his success is all because of Narendra Modi and states that his commitment, integrity and simplicity towards the country and his work motivates him to better.
Image Courtesy:-Images used in this article belong to the person in the discussion. This is intended for information purpose only. All images have been taken from the Social Media (Facebook, Instagram) of the person.