By staff reporter
Dehradun, 10 Jun: There are two Sikhs, one Christian and no Muslim this time in the new 72-member Council of Ministers of the Modi 3.0 government.
Despite losing all the ten seats in Punjab, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inducted two Sikh faces – Hardeep Singh Puri and Ravneet Singh Bittu in his new council of ministers.
However, no representation was given to the Muslim community in the Modi ministry. Significantly, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi was not given a Rajya Sabha seat last time due to which the Muslim representation of the BJP in Parliament became nil. Even in BJP’s NDA allies, no Muslim candidate got elected to the lower house.
BJP’s only Muslim candidate Dr Abdul Salam this time came in third position in Kerala’s Malappuram Lok Sabha seat.
BJP’s Christian face in Kerala George Kurian was a surprise entry into the Modi government.
As the women representation is shrinking in Parliament, only seven women including two of cabinet ranks – Nirmala Sitharaman and Annapurna Devi, were inducted in the new ministry. Film actress Kangana Ranaut, who won from the Mandi Lok Sabha seat, was not considered for the ministerial berth.
Though Puri has largely been given a second ministerial berth due to his scamless tenure as Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas and Housing and Urban Affairs in the Modi 2.0 government, Bittu would be the face of Punjab in the new ministry which was sworn-in on Sunday evening in New Delhi. He lost from Ludhiana in the Lok Sabha elections 2024.
Bittu has been chosen ahead of Taranjit Singh Sandhu, a former diplomat who lost from Amritsar; Parampal Kaur Sidhu, a former IAS officer who lost from Bathinda; and singer Hans Raj Hans, who lost from Faridkot.
Speaking to the media, Bittu said by inducting him into the ministry, the Modi government has prioritised the development of Punjab despite his loss. Puri also thanked the Prime Minister for giving him a cabinet berth in the new ministry.
