Najma Heptulla and GM Siddeshwara Resign as Union Ministers

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi  July 12, 2016 : Union ministers Najma Heptulla and GM Siddeshwara resigned on Tuesday, a week after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made big cabinet changes.

 

Najma Heptulla was the Minority Affairs Minister; minister of state Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has now been given independent charge of the ministry.

Mr Siddeshwara was Minister of State for Heavy Industries. His job will be taken over by Babul Supriyo, who was junior minister for Urban Development.

The BJP leader from Karnataka had been asked to resign before the cabinet reshuffle but he bought more time citing his birthday.  Five other ministers were dropped.

"I told them I can’t possibly come to Delhi on that day," the minister told NDTV last week, confirming that he had asked the BJP not to embarrass him by forcing him to cancel the public meeting lined up to mark his 64th birthday.
 
In addition to introducing 19 new junior ministers, PM Modi swapped a series of key portfolios in his cabinet. The biggest change was Smriti Irani leaving the Education Ministry to Prakash Javadekar, the sole member of the government to have been promoted to the cabinet.

With today’s resignations, the council of ministers now has 76 ministers against the permissible limit of 82.