Murli Manohar Joshi

Murli Manohar Joshi is an Indian politician and physicist. He is one of the founding members and a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and served as its President from 1991 to 1993. In addition to his role in the BJP, he is a lifelong member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a Hindutva paramilitary organisation. Joshi is a former Member of Parliament from Kanpur Lok Sabha constituency. He is a former professor of physics in University of Allahabad. Joshi later became the Union Human Resources & Development Minister in the National Democratic Alliance government. Joshi was awarded Padma Vibhushan, the second-highest civilian award, in 2017 by the Government of India.