On July 6, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, the Union Minister for Minority Affairs, and RCP Singh, the Union Minister for Steel, submitted their resignations from the Union Cabinet.
Notably, Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani has been given the additional charge of the Ministry of Minority Affairs while Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has been given the additional charge of the Ministry of Steel.
“As advised by the Prime Minister, the President has directed that Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani, Cabinet Minister, be assigned the charge of the Ministry of Minority Affairs, in addition to her existing portfolio,” read the notification of Rashtrapati Bhavan.
“Furthermore, as advised by the Prime Minister, the President has directed that Jyotiraditya M Scindia, Cabinet Minister, be assigned the charge of the Ministry of Steel, in addition to his existing portfolio,” it added.
First time sitting minister has been out of both Houses of Parliament
The resignations of Naqvi and Singh came a day before their Rajya Sabha terms were set to expire. According to the sources, this is the first time that a sitting minister has been out of both Houses of Parliament.
Recently, several BJP leaders were elected to Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan. However, the party did not give a Rajya Sabha ticket to Naqvi.
Pertinent to mention here, RCP Singh, who comes from an ally party in Bihar, JD(U), had sworn in as a minister in the Modi government a year ago on July 7, 2021. However, in the recent announcement of the Rajya Sabha tickets, Nitish Kumar denied RCP Singh`s election to the Rajya Sabha.
About Naqvi who was heading the minority affairs ministry since 2016
Speculations are rife that Naqvi could be projected as the ruling BJP’s candidate in the upcoming vice presidential elections, slated for August 6.
The speculations gained momentum after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in the Union Cabinet meeting held today, reportedly praised Naqvi for his role as a minister over the past eight years.
Naqvi, who was serving his third term as a Rajya Sabha MP, was also the Deputy Leader of Parliament’s Upper House since July 2021.
His successor, Irani, has also served as the minister for textiles from 2016-2021, minister for information and broadcasting from 2017-18 and minister for human resource development from 2014-16.
