Gopinath Munde

Gopinath Pandurang Munde (12 December 1949 – 3 June 2014) was an Indian politician from Maharashtra.

A popular Leader in Maharashtra called a Lokneta.

He was a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Union Minister for Rural and Panchayati Raj in Narendra Modi's Cabinet.

Munde (POS) was born in Parali, Maharashtra, on 12 December 1949, to Pandurang and Limbabai Munde in a middle class Vanjari farmer's family.

His primary education was in the village that did not have a school building.

The "school" was held under the shade of a tree.

He was an average student; not very bright, not a dullard either.

He moved on to tehsil town Parali for the secondary education in the Zilla Parishad School.

He used to go to Arya Samaj Mandir everyday to read newspapers and books and listen to discourses given by men of wisdom.

After matriculation, he joined the college in Ambejogai for graduation in Commerce.

He did not have political background in his family, yet he was drawn to the students' movement in the college.

He became a kingmaker of sorts, ensuring victory of members of his group though he did not win an election even once during those four memorable years.

Munde attended a government primary school, in Nathra village, Beed district where classes were conducted "under a tree".

He later attended the Zilla Parishad high school in Parali.

He obtained a B.Com.

from college in Ambejogai.

Subsequently, he studied at the ILS College in Pune.

In 1971, he associated with the campaign of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh candidate in the Lok Sabha election in the Beed constituency.

He attended the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's Shiksha Varga (Training Camp) held in Pune that year.

He soon became the Sambhajinagar Mandal Karyavah, looking after half a dozen shakhas of the RSS, and subsequently, the in-charge of its Pune City Students' Cell.

Later, he was made a member of the executive committee of the city RSS.

According to the affidavit submitted to Election Commission by Munde for the Lok Sabha elections, he graduated from New Law College, Pune in 1976 but the college was established in 1978.

Later it was confirmed that the degree was issued by the Pune University and not by the college.

He has done a BCom and a BGL.

he did an LLB for two years from the ILS College.

However, it isn't the college that issues the degree certificate, it's Pune University.

He was a member of Maharashtra's Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Renapur (Vidhan Sabha constituency) for five terms during 1980–1985 and 1990–2009.

He was also the leader of opposition in the Assembly during 1992–1995.

He is well known for being the mastermind behind the finish of the underworld in Mumbai, as deputy chief minister with home ministry of Maharashtra in 1995-1999.

He is a chief architect who introduced the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act in assembly which was ratified by the supreme court of India.

He had held the post of Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra in 1995–1999.

Munde was elected to Lok Sabha in 2009 and 2014, and served as the deputy leader of the BJP in the Lok Sabha.

After Gopinath Munde became Minister of Rural Development in 2014, controversy erupted over his educational qualification.

He was appointed in Modi's cabinet and took the oath on 26 May, but died in New Delhi a week later on 3 June 2014.

As per media reports he died in a road accident.

However, on 21 Jan 2019, a US hacker claimed that Mr. Munde was murdered.

He is the shortest served Cabinet minister ever in Indian history.

Munde got involved in politics when he met Pramod Mahajan, a friend and colleague in the college.

As a member of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, he took part in the agitation against the state of emergency imposed by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

He was incarcerated in the Nashik central jail until the Emergency was lifted.