Cabinet rejig 'attempt to deviate nation's attention from faux pas of Modi Govt.': BSP

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on Sunday termed the Cabinet reshuffle as an attempt to divert attention of the people from the faux pas of the Centre.

BSP supremo Mayawati said the rejig has happened to deviate peoples' mind from the incumbent issues of economic instability, unemployment and Ganga cleanliness.

She further said that the third rejig of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Cabinet is also aimed at fulfilling the RSS's agenda.

"Government, by taking such steps, is adversely affecting the stability of the nation and is stalling its development," Mayawati said.

In the third cabinet reshuffle, Union Minister Piyush Goyal has been given the charge of Railway Ministry.

Nirmala Sitharaman has been assigned the charge of the Defence Ministry, becoming only the second woman to hold the post since late Indira Gandhi.

Dharmendra Pradhan has been promoted to the Cabinet rank of Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas; and Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.

Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, has been now made the Minister of Minority Affairs.

Other ministers who are handed over bigger responsibilities and who, probably, lost their credentials are:

-Arun Jaitley will keep Finance Portfolio and Ministry of Corporate Affairs.

-Nitin Gadkari gets the additional charge of Ministry of Water Resources, River Development Ganga Rejuvenation.

-Shiv Pratap Shukla - promoted as the Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance

-Ashwini Kumar Choubey appointed the Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

-Virendra Kumar---appointed as the Minister of State in the Ministry of Women and Child Development and the Minister of State in the Ministry of Minority Affairs

-Anant Kumar Hegde appointed as the Minister of State in the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship

-Raj Kumar Singh appointed as the Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Power and the Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy

-Hardeep Puri appointed as the Minister of State (Independent Charge) in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs

-Gajendra Singh Shekhawat appointed as the Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare

-Satya Pal Singh appointed the Minister of State in the Ministry of Women Resource Development and the Minister of State in the Ministry of Water Resources, Rural Development and Ganga Rejuvenation

-Alphons Kannanthanam appointed as the Minister of State (Independent Charge) in the Ministry of Tourism and the Minister of State in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology

-Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar gets Ministry of Mines

-While Uma Bharati, who was earlier the Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, has now been made the Minister of Drinking Water and Sanitation.

-Also, Vijay Goel, earlier the Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, has now been made the Minister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.

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