Union Minister Anurag Thakur has been promoted to the rank of Captain in the Territorial Army on Wednesday evening. Thakur took to social media to share the news.
Thakur has become the first serving Member of Parliament (MP) and minister to become Captain as a regular commissioned officer. He was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Territorial Army in 2016.
Following the ceremony, Thakur called upon Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla at the Parliament. Apart from being a Captain in the Territorial Army, Thakur is also a four-time BJP MP from Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh and Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs.
In the past, Thakur has held various positions. He appointed himself as the chairman of selectors of the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association and was the former president of the cricket association. Thakur was also the President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) from 2015 to 2017. The Supreme Court sacked him for making false statements under oath before the Apex court and for not complying with their orders.
Thakur stoked controversy by raising hate slogan during a BJP rally in January 2020. While campaigning during the Delhi Assembly elections, Thakur lashed out at the anti-CAA and NRC protestors by shouting “Desh ke gaddaron ko” (traitors of the country) to which the crowd responded, “Goli maro s**lo ko” (shoot them). The Election Commission of India issued a notice to Thakur for his controversial slogan and violating model code and imposed a 72-hour ban on Thakur later. He was taken off the star campaigners list of the BJP. After his comments, three incidents of firing took place in New Delhi.
