A week after the major reshuffle in his Council of Ministers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi effected a minor one on Tuesday. Minority Affairs Minister Najma Heptulla and Minister of State for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises GM Siddeshwara resigned with immediate effect. Heptulla’s deputy Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has now been assigned the Independent charge of the Ministry of Minority Affairs.
Siddeshwara has been replaced by Babul Supriyo, who was relieved of the
charge of Minister of State in the Ministry of Urban Development, and Minister of State in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation.
Sources said Heptulla was out of country and therefore, couldn’t submit her resignation on July 5 though she had decided to do so. Similarly, Siddeshwara too was out of Delhi and couldn’t submit his resignation then. With the PM returning from his Africa tour on Tuesday they submitted their resignations, which have been accepted by President Pranab Mukherjee.
Heptulla’s exit from the Cabinet was being expected on the grounds of her crossing the age of 75 years, the maximum age ceiling to be a Minister in the Modi Government. Party sources said Heptulla offered to quit toeing the party’s principles of maintaining the age factor. Siddheshwara, who represents Davangere constituency of Karnataka, is, however, just 64.
Sources said under Heptulla, her Ministry held the record for being able to spend 98 per cent of the entire Plan Budget in 2015-16 on various schemes and programmes meant for the people of minority community.