Asifa Khan

Asifa Khan
Personal details
Born (1965-07-08) July 8, 1965
Bharuch, Gujarat
Political party Bharatiya Janata Party
Children 2 (Nazia Khan and Arsh Khan)
Religion Islam

Asifa Khan is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).[1][2][3][4] She has emerged as a prominent Muslim face of BJP. She is now considered amongst the very close persons to the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and also as the leading and emerging face of Muslims in the party. She represents and defends the BJP as well as put forward the views of the party on print and electronic media and also on leading TV channels. [5][6][7][8][9]

Early and personal life

Asifa Khan hails from Bharuch district, Gujarat, to which Congress leader Ahmed Patel also belongs.She is a postgraduate in English literature. She started out as a teacher in a school run by Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilisers Ltd (GNFC), a PSU based in Bharuch where her husband works.[10] She is a mother of two children.She lives with her family near Darul Uloom Kantharia, Gujarat’s biggest Islamic seminary, on the outskirts of Bharuch. She later got a job with Bank of Baroda there after clearing bank recruitment exams,but quit it after some time. Asifa had worked as a journalist for 17 years in both print and electronic media.She had worked as stringer with two of Gujarat's leading English newspapers,a local Gujarati newspaper Sandesh and briefly for Zee News as well.[11] Asifa plunged into journalism leaving her studies midway. She was doing her MA in English at that time. Her daughter is married and son is in college. Asifa was offered the membership of Censor Board in 2005 when Sharmila Tagore was the chairperson by Congress leader Ahmed Patel, but that did not materialise.

Political career

Asifa got interested in politics,when she was working as a teacher run by GNFC .She joined the Congress in 2008 and worked for four years as media convener of the All India Mahila Congress,after she was handpicked by Ahmed Patel to join Congress party before Indian general election, 2009.She was groomed by Ahmed Patel and even offered Lok Sabha ticket for 2009 elections by him.[12] She joined the BJP in October 2012 just three months before Gujarat elections,after she met Narendra Modi.[13][14][15] She was impressed by Sakhi mandals,initiated by Narendra Modi.[16] She rapidly moved up from the BJP’s national minority morcha to its media committee. She actively campaigned for BJP in Gujarat Legislative Assembly election, 2012 held in December 2012 and played a significant role in taking Modi's developmental message to Muslim-majority areas along with Mehboobali Bavasaheb,Gujarat BJP Minority Morcha President.She coordinated the “young India leader conclave” in Gandhinagar in June 2013, which was attended by former cabinet secretary Syed Zafar Mahmood. Asifa was the first Muslim woman appointed in Gujarat BJP’s executive committee in September 2013.[17] She is also in the national executive of the BJP Minority Morcha.[18][19][20][21]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-2251294/Modi-rides-high-development-dedicates-victory-crore-people-Gujarat--apologises-past-mistakes.html
  2. ↑ http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/gujarat-elections-narendra-modi-unveils-bjps-poll-manifesto/1/235799.html
  3. ↑ http://www.business-standard.com/article/politics/the-triple-m-factor-modi-muslims-and-madani-113101600405_1.html
  4. ↑ "National Office Bearers". Bharatiya Janata Party website. 28 September 2010. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  5. ↑ Know Asifa Khan: Muslim face of Modi’s female support base
  6. ↑ Narendra Modi's firebrand women politicos are a force to reckon with
  7. ↑ The Big Bens
  8. ↑ Selling Modi to the West: As Europe extends the hand of friendship, meet the smooth operators behind 'brand Gujarat'
  9. ↑ Muslim businessmen are Modi’s bridges to the community
  10. ↑ Now in BJP, Ahmed Patel’s pick slams Cong
  11. ↑ Modi and Muslims
  12. ↑ ‘Lack of leadership’ in Gujarat Congress drew Asifa to BJP fold
  13. ↑ Gujarat: former Congress spokeswoman joins BJP
  14. ↑ Asifa Khan goes to Delhi as Narendra Modi’s nominee
  15. ↑ BJP's poll poser: How to net Gujarat's Muslim vote
  16. ↑ http://www.narendramodi.in/the-1-25-lakh-sakhi-mandals-to-undertake-economic-and -saving-activities/
  17. ↑ Asifa Khan elevated as BJP’s national executive member
  18. ↑ Congress' approach towards Muslims hypocritical, Modi's inclusive: BJP leader Asifa Khan
  19. ↑ Modi's Muslim messengers
  20. ↑ http://newsindiatimes.com/women-should-think-twice-about-narendra-modi/
  21. ↑ Meet Modi's cheergirls

External links

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