NEW DELHI: In a climax akin to films, suave and articulate Apna Dal’s MP from Mirzapur, Anupriya Singh Patel, took oath as the Minister of State in Narendra Modi’s government. The event, would not have gone down well by her mother and Apna Dal’s President Krishna Singh Patel, who had ousted her daughter for ‘anti-party activities’ in 2015.
Anupriya, 36, is one of the youngest ministers to have been inducted in the cabinet rejig by Prime Minister Modi. Anupriya was hoping to enter the Cabinet right after the Lok Sabha poll, but the BJP wanted the party to merge with it. The condition was unacceptable to Krishna Patel.
Apna Dal’s success in Uttar Pradesh in the 2014 polls had also been attributed to the Modi wave. A former lecturer, Anupriya’s induction is also seen in line with her Other Backward Class (OBC) credentials. Her father Sonelal had wielded considerable influence among OBCs in the Varanasi-Mirzapur area.
Anupriya holds a Masters Degree in Psychology and MBA degree as well. She is eloquent and took over as the General Secretary of Apna Dal following her father’s sudden demise in a road accident. She entered the UP Assembly in 2012 from Rohaniya constituency and later on went on to contest the 2014 Lok Sabha elections in alliance with the BJP.