Making it to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Cabinet in his first term as a Lok Sabha MP, Pune Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Murlidhar Mohol has been appointed Minister of State (MoS) for Civil Aviation and Cooperation.
The former Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) Mayor said he was fortunate to be given the responsibility of two such important portfolios.
"Getting an opportunity to work under Amit Shah in the Cooperation Ministry is the happiest moment for me. I represent Maharashtra which has a big network of cooperative sectors. The cooperative sector is a medium to reach out to the last man in society and make the lives of people better," he said.
He said he was sure to do justice to the sector while working under the guidance of Shah.
Talking about civil aviation, Mohol said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had transformed the airports of the country during his rule and had focussed on providing good amenities to flyers.
"I will be able to do effective work for Navi Mumbai Airport, Purandar Airport, Pune Airport, and many others in the country," the first-time MP asserted.
In the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, Mohol defeated Congress candidate Ravindra Dhangekar by 1,23,038 votes. This was the third consecutive victory for the saffron party in Pune, with Anil Shirole winning in 2014 and Girish Bapat bagging the seat in 2019.
Hailing from Mulshi taluka in Pune district, Mohol’s father migrated to the city with his family in search of job opportunities and education for his children.
From the age of 12, he attended shakhas organised by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Having graduated from Kolhapur University, he also took wrestling lessons there.
By 1996, he entered the political arena and became the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha chief for Pune. He became a corporator for the first time in 2002 and headed the standing committee of the PMC before becoming mayor in 2019. He had also contested the Assembly polls from the Khadakwasla seat in 2009. However, he faced defeat.
Expressing his joy, Mohol said, "I was merely a small party worker, mostly active on the ground. I have worked for 30 continuous years. Now, the party has entrusted me with this huge opportunity to work in the team of PM Modi. The party's expectations have significantly increased from me beyond Pune and I have the opportunity to serve the nation."
He added, "I hadn't had any idea about this. On Sunday morning, I received a call from JP Nadda and Devendra Fadnavis regarding my assignment as a minister, and they invited me to the PM's house. I couldn't believe it, but this is the beauty of our party — they look after every party worker who has dedicatedly worked for the party and give them such huge responsibility accordingly."
The 49-year-old is the sixth Punekar to make it to the Union Ministry. The first Lok Sabha MP from Pune city to become a Union Minister was Kakasaheb Gadgil in 1952 in the Nehru government. The second Lok Sabha MP from Pune to become a minister was Mohan Dharia in 1971, 1974, and 1977. Kakasaheb Gadgil's son Vithalrao Gadgil, who was elected in 1984, was the Union Information and Broadcasting Minister from 1984 to 1986 in the Rajiv Gandhi-led government. Congress leader Suresh Kalmadi, who was a Rajya Sabha member, was Minister of State for Railways with independent charge. After Kalmadi, Prakash Javadekar, who was also a Rajya Sabha MP, became a Cabinet minister in the Modi government in 2014 and again in 2019. During this time, he held the ministries of Information and Broadcasting and Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, among others.
