Staff Reporter
ITANAGAR, 7 Jul: Arunachal West MP Kiren Rijiju has been made a cabinet minister in the union government. He has been given the law and justice ministry.
He was sworn in along with 42 others on Wednesday evening in a major reshuffle by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Earlier, Rijiju was the minister of state for AYUSH, youth affairs, sports and minority affairs.
Four others from the Northeast states have been given ministerial berths, including former Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal who has been inducted as a cabinet minister. He has been given the charge of the ministry of ports, shipping & waterways, and AYUSH.
The others are Tripura West MP Pratima Bhoumik, Inner Manipur MP Rajkumar Ranjan Singh and Rameshwar Teli from Assam. They have been inducted as ministers of state.
Chief Minister Pema Khandu congratulated Rijiju on his promotion.
“Your elevation to the post of union cabinet minister brings great joy and pride. We eagerly look forward to your tremendous zeal, passion and energy in bringing in change,” he said.
Governor BD Mishra also congratulated the minister. He said that Rijiju’s elevation “speaks volume about the competence and progressive policies in various ministries,” adding that Rijiju’s “managerial and administrative acumen have been recognized by the prime minister.”
By inducting Rijiju as a cabinet minister, the prime minister has reflected his deep care and concern for the progress of the people of Arunachal, Mishra said.
Rijiju is a three-time MP. He first won in 2004, but lost the 2009 elections. In 2014, he was made the MoS for home in the Narendra Modi government. (With input from Raj Bhavan)
