Onkar Singh Lakhawat (born 1 April 1949) is an Indian lawyer, politician, writer, and a senior BJP leader from Rajasthan. He is a former Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha (1997–2000). He has served as the Chairman of Rajasthan Heritage Preservation and Promotion Authority. He was a Minister of State in the Second Raje ministry (2014-2019). He was also the Vice-President of the BJP in Rajasthan.
Early life and family
Onkar Singh Lakhawat was born 1 April 1949 in Tehla village in Nagaur, Rajasthan. His parents were Shri Ash Karanji (father) and mother Shri Ratan Kanwar (mother). Onkar Singh is married and has 1 son and 2 daughters. He was married on 1 July 1964.
Education
Onkar Singh Lakhawat has done graduation in Bachelor of Arts(B.A.) as well as obtained a degree in Bachelor of Legislative Law(LL.B.).
Political career
Lakhawat came in contact with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in his early years during his graduation in Deedwana. It continued in Ajmer where he was pursuing his degree in law. He also worked for some time in Janata Party. When BJP was established in 1980, Onkar Singh Lakhawat was appointed as the first General Secretary of BJP in Ajmer. Onkar Singh attended the Delhi conference of BJP's formation. He was later appointed as State President of BJYM.
Onkar Singh Lakhawat has held various positions in the government of Rajasthan, including UIT Chairman of Ajmer (1994-1997), Member of Parliament in Rajya Sabha (1997-2000), Chairman of Rajasthan Heritage Protection and Promotion Authority (2007-2008) (2014-2019), Minister of State (2015), and member of the Disciplinary Committee of BJP Rajasthan (2020). He also planned tours of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during Lok Sabha elections in 2019 and was a panelist in TV debates. In June 2020, BJP fielded him for the election of 3 vacant seats of Rajya Sabha.
Positions Held
Monuments and panoramas
Onkar Singh Lakhawat, in his long career, is known for spearheading the construction of monuments and panoramas dedicated to local heroes & folk deities of Rajasthan. Till now, he has presided over the building of more than 75 such panoramas and monuments.
Pritviraj Chauhan Memorial Park, Ajmer 1996
After his appointment as Ajmer UIT Chairman, Onkar Singh took the decision to build a monument or paronama dedicated to Prithviraj Chauhan.
Onkar Singh Lakhawat, Chairman of the Urban Improvement Trust (Ajmer), established a memorial park in Ajmer to commemorate Prithiviraj Chauhan. The opening ceremony, attended by prominent political figures including the then national president of BJP, L K Advani, was held on 1996-01-25. The park is located at a prominent location on a tall hill leading to Taragarh fort, providing a panoramic view of the city. It covers an area of approximately 3 acres. The centerpiece is a bronze statue of Prithviraj seated on a horse, which is approximately life-sized but elevated on an 11.6 foot-high stone plinth.
Daher Sen Statue
Lakhawat also built a panorama dedicated to Raja Daher Sen, an old ruler of Sindh.
Since 2018, Onkar Singh Lakhawat, as the chairman of Rajasthan Heritage Preservation and Promotion Authority, oversaw the construction of around 50 statues of various local heroes, freedom fighters, and folk deities of Rajasthan.
In May 2018, Vasundhara Raje, then the Chief Minister of Rajasthan, met with Onkar Singh Lakhawat, Chairman of Rajasthan Heritage Protection and Promotion Authority and directed to speed up the pace for the installation of panoramas of great saints and heroes of various communities of Rajasthan. Onkar Singh assured the chied minister regarding installation of panoramas. Onkar Singh said:"The government is committed to restoring the memory of all revered persons from the state. There have been many who have not got their justified space in History and our effort is to correct that."
Tejaji Panorama
Tejaji is a folk deity worshipped widely in Rajasthan by communities like Jats, and the Rajasthan Heritage Protection and Promotion Authority has built a panorama of Tejaji at Kharnal Village in Nagour district. Kharnal is the birthplace of Tejaji and the devotees go there to offer prayers.
Ramdevji Panorama
Worshipped primarily by the Scheduled Caste community, the Rajasthan Heritage Protection and Promotion Authority built a panorama of Ramdev ji, also known as Ramdev Baba, in Ramdevra Village of Jaisalmer District. Ramdev Baba has a huge following among the ST/SC community.