Gurudas Kamat
Quick Facts
Biography
Gurudas Kamat (born 5 October 1954) is an Indian politician. Member of Parliament elected from Mumbai North East constituency in 2009. He is an advocate by profession. He is from the Indian National Congress. He has represented Mumbai North East constituency of Maharashtra in the Lok Sabha five times (1984, 1991, 1998, 2004, and 2009). In 2014 he lost the Lok Sabha Election.
He has an MBA degree and is a commerce graduate. He got married on 11 May 1981 and has a son. In 1976, he was awarded the Principal Wellingkar Trophy for the outstanding Student Award at the R.A. Podar College and in 1979 a fellow of Government Law College in Mumbai. He served as the Minister of State for Home affairs with additional charge of Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Government of India during 2009 to 2011. In July 2011 he resigned as minister.
On 31 July 2015, Congress general secretary Gurudas Kamat has sparked a fresh controversy by calling Union HRD Minister, Smriti Irani, a 'bai'. "Her (Irani) family's financial condition was not good; therefore, she worked in a hotel in Versova. Since, Smriti was only 10th pass, she cleaned tables in the hotel," Kamat said . Kamat, who is party affairs in charge of Rajasthan, said this while addressing a public meeting in Pali for upcoming municipal elections in Rajasthan. Born to a cross-cultural family, Irani before finding modelling stardom worked as a waitress at McDonald's. Kamat also attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying he inducted 'uneducated' Irani in Council of Minister because of some 'self interest'. For such offensive comments, National Commission for Women has served a notice to Gurudas Kamat on 1 August 2015. On 6 June 2016, he announced his resignation from Congress and decided to quit politics.
Positions held
- 1976-1980 - President, National Student's Union of India
- 1984 - Elected to 8th Lok Sabha (1st term)
- 1984-1987 - President, Maharashtra Pradesh Youth Congress
- 1987-1988 - President, Indian Youth Congress
- 1991 - Elected to 10th Lok Sabha (2nd term)
- 1997 - Vice President, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee
- 1998 - Elected to 12th Lok Sabha (3rd term)
- 1998-99 - Member, Committee on Petitions Member, Committee on Petroleum and Chemicals
- 2003 - Elected as Mumbai Regional Congress Committee President. Heads the Mumbai City Congress
- 2004 - Elected to 14th Lok Sabha (4th term)
- 2004-2005 Chairman, Standing Committee on Energy
- 2005 - Re-Elected as Mumbai Regional Congress Committee President
- 2009 - Elected to 15th Lok Sabha from Mumbai North West (5th term)
- 2011 - Minister of State of Drinking Water and Sanitation (2nd reshuffle of cabinet ministry)
- "Gurudas Kamat is new MPCC chief". economictimes.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
- "Gurudas Kamat, Sanjay Nirupam come together for Mumbai Congress". economictimes.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
Membership in the following government agencies
- Central Board of Film Certification, Government of India 1980–84
- Central Purchases Advisory Council, Government of India, 1980–83
- Bombay Police Liaison Committee
- Telephone Advisory Committees
- National Shipping Board, 1985–89
- "Telephone Advisory Committees (TACs)". dot.gov.in.