Senior BJP leader and former Union minister Vijay Goel has been appointed the vice-chairman of the Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who chairs the society.
The appointment was notified by the Union culture ministry which is the nodal ministry for the society. The society supervises the Rajghat and the museum and the library at Gandhi Smriti at 5 Tees January Marg in the national capital.
Goel served as minister in the first NDA government under Modi, holding portfolios like the minister of state for sports and youth affairs (July 2016 to Sep 2017), parliamentary affairs (Sep 2017 to May 2019), and statistics & programme implementation (Sep 2017 to May 2019).
Son of Charti Lal Goel, formerly the Speaker of the Delhi Vidhan Sabha, Goel had three consecutive terms as a member of the Lok Sabha (LS) — representing Delhi’s Sadar seat in the 11th LS (1996-98), and Chandni Chowk in the 12th and 13th LS (1998-99 and 1999-2004). In February 2013, he became the president of BJP’s Delhi unit.
Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti plans to carry out activities for the promotion of Mahatma Gandhi”s ideals and the national cause identified with him, especially of national integration and the welfare and betterment of the underprivileged.
The Union culture minister, Delhi governor, Delhi mayor, MCD commissioner, Union culture secretary, Urban development secretary are among the ex-officio members of the society.