Who is Jayanthi Natarajan?

The Central Bureau of Investigation on Saturday conducted raids on former Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan in Chennai. The 63-year-old was environment minister from July 2011 to December 2013 in the UPA-2 government. Here's what you should know about her:

Jayanthi Natarajan was a known loyalist of the Nehru-Gandhi family, and was environment minister in the UPA II government.

Granddaughter of veteran Congressman and former Tamil Nadu chief minister M Bakthavatsalam, Natarajan, was a lawyer in Chennai before she joined politics in the 1980s.

Natarajan practised in the Madras High Court and also did pro bono work for many social organisations.
She is the first minister of state for the Congress from Tamil Nadu.

She held a number of posts in Congress, including that of the party's national spokesperson for years.

She was noticed by the then Congress president Rajiv Gandhi who made her a Rajya Sabha MP in 1986 for the first time. She was re-elected to the Upper House in 1992, 1997 and in 2008.

She quit the Congress in 1996 when Congress leader G.K. Moopanar founded the TMC to protest against the party's decision to align with AIADMK in state elections.

An articulate speaker, Natarajan has often won kudos for communicating the party's views with ease and comfort before the cameras.

Natarajan had always been in the forefront fighting for women's rights and headed a Parliamentary Committee that looked into the Women's Reservation Bill.

She is married to V.K. Natarajan, A veena player, The couple has a son.

OneIndia News