Najma Heptulla and GM Siddeshwara resign after Cabinet reshuffle

NEW DELHI: Minor changes in the Union Council of Ministers reconstituted last week were made on Tuesday when minority affairs minister Najma Heptulla resigned from the Cabinet and minister of state Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi was given independent charge of the ministry.

According to a Rashtrapati Bhavan communique, minister of state for heavy industries and public enterprises GM Siddeshwara too has resigned with immediate effect. Resignations of Heptulla and Siddeshwara were accepted by the President.

The decision on the resignation of both these ministers were arrived at ahead of the Cabinet reshuffle on July 5. However, it was postponed as Najma Heptulla was abroad and GM Siddeshwara sought time citing his birthday for which he was out of the town. They tendered their resignation on Tuesday after PM Modi returned from his four-nation Africa tour.

The duties of Siddeshwara have been assigned to Babul Supriyo. In fact, Supriyo has been divested of his MoS responsibilities in the ministries of urban development and housing and urban poverty alleviation, and assigned the portfolio of MoS for ministry of heavy industries and public enterprises.

Najma, 75, out; Kalraj, 75, still in

Sources said Najma’s resignation was necessitated as she had crossed the 75 age bar for ministers prescribed by Modi at the start of his government.

However, Kalraj Mishra, another Cabinet minister on the other side of that bar, has evaded this rule because of forthcoming assembly elections in UP where Brahmin votes hold significance in BJP’s electoral calculations.

There were speculations that Najma Heptulla may be assigned governorship after her exit from the Council of Ministers.