Nisith Pramanik

Nisith Pramanik (born 17 January 1986) is an Indian politician from West Bengal who has served as the Union Minister of State, Ministry of Home Affairs and Union Minister of State, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports from 2021 to 2024 and a member of the Lok Sabha represented Cooch Behar, West Bengal from 2021 to 2024 as a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He was also member of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly from 2021 until 2021 from Dinhata Assembly constituency. He was a member of the Trinamool Congress until 2019.

Early and personal life
Pramanik was born on 17 January 1986 to Bidhu Bhushan Pramanik and Chhanda Pramanik in Dinhata, Cooch Behar District, West Bengal. His father left his ancestral village in Palashbari Upazila, Gaibandha District of present-day Bangladesh and came to Dinhata in 1968, becoming a businessman. He has Bachelor of Computer Applications (BCA). He was an assistant teacher at a primary school. He is married to Priyanka Pramanik, with whom he has two sons.

Political career


He was also a member of All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) before joining the BJP in March 2019. In July 2021, he became Minister of Home Affairs and Minister of State, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in Second Modi ministry after the Cabinet reshuffle. As of 2021, at the age of 35 he became the youngest minister in the Union Cabinet.

Controversy
In July 2021, his nationality created debate in the Indian political circle after Congress' Rajya Sabha MP Ripun Bora wrote a letter alleging Pramanik of being a Bangladeshi national to the Prime Minister to investigate his nationality. Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge also questioned his citizenship, while TMC Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy also alleged he is a Bangladeshi citing his Wikipedia page as a reference. The Leader of the Rajya Sabha, BJP MP Piyush Goyal, however, called the allegations baseless.