This Article is From Feb 08, 2020

Rakhi Birla, AAP's Giant Killer, Youngest Minister, Youngest Deputy Speaker

Rakhi Birla came to be known as "giant killer" when she defeated Congress veteran Raj Kumar Chauhan from Mangolpuri, not once, but twice.

Rakhi Birla, AAP's Giant Killer, Youngest Minister, Youngest Deputy Speaker

Rakhi Birla turned to politics after meeting Arvind Kejriwal during the 2012-13 Jan Lokpal campaign.

New Delhi:

At 26, Rakhi Birla became the youngest minister in Delhi as she joined Arvind Kejriwal's cabinet when the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) first came to power in 2013. Later, the two-time MLA from Mangolpuri went on to become one of the youngest deputy speakers.

She came to be known as "giant killer" when she defeated Congress veteran Raj Kumar Chauhan from Mangolpuri, not once, but twice.

Her stint as Women and Child Welfare Minister in the first AAP ministry was shortlived as Mr Kejriwal quit in seven weeks. But she won again in 2015 and was appointed deputy Speaker in 2016.

Rakhi became "Birla" although she was originally "Bidlan" because her school mistakenly wrote "Birla" on her Class 10 certificate.

A mass communication student and former journalist, Rakhi Birla's political stint has been eventful and even controversial.

She turned to politics after meeting Arvind Kejriwal during the 2012-13 Jan Lokpal campaign.

After winning the Delhi polls in 2013, she contested the 2014 national election against the BJP's Udit Raj and lost.

A year later, she landed in a huge controversy over reports that a brand new SUV had been gifted to her on her birthday. AAP denied it, asserting that the vehicle belonged to a party worker.

She was dragged into more trouble when her sister-in-law complained to the police about domestic violence and alleged that the AAP leader did nothing to help her. Ms Birla's brother in turn said she was being used by the BJP to "defame" AAP.

Ms Birla later put out a statement saying she had severed all ties with her brothers.

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