Agra celebrates Katheria's induction in Cabinet

Celebrations broke out in Agra today after two-time MP Ram Shankar Katheria took oath as Minister of State in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first cabinet expansion today.

BJP workers danced, burst fire crackers and distributed sweets outside Katheria's residence here, besides taking to the streets across the city to celebrate the 50-year-old MP's inclusion in the Cabinet.

AGRA: Supporters claimed that Katheria was meant to become minister, while others said that Prime Minister's decision to induct the Agra MP into his cabinet showed that he was serious about the city's development.

Katheria's wife Dr Mridula Katheria joined party leaders Archana Aggarwal, Pramod Gandhi, Sharad Chauhan, Sunil Sharma, Gajraj Singh, Shyam Sundar Parashar, Hemant Bhojwani among others in the celebrations.

Katheria, who is in his second stint in the House of the People, hails from Uttar Pradesh and is also the in-charge of the party's affairs for Punjab.

A Ph.D holder and a writer with books on social issues and Dalit upliftment, Katheria won from the Agra (SC) constituency in the last Lok Sabha polls.

In his first term as a Lok Sabha MP, Katheria was a member of several committees. He was a part of the Committee on Urban Development, Committee on Papers Laid on the Table, Committee on Petitions and also the Consultative Committee on Rural Development