1. Kiren Rijiju assumes the additional role as Minister of Food Processing Industries in the recent political reorganization.
2. Notification from Rashtrapati Bhavan confirms Rijiju’s new responsibility after Pashupati Kumar Paras’s resignation.
3. Paras’s departure precedes his Lok Sabha candidacy announcement, reflecting internal tensions within the RLJP party.
New Delhi, March 20: Union Minister Kiren Rijiju has been entrusted with the additional responsibility of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, following a political reshuffle.
The decision, confirmed by a notification from Rashtrapati Bhavan, comes in the wake of Pashupati Kumar Paras’s resignation from the Union Council of Ministers.
President Droupadi Murmu accepted Paras’s resignation and appointed Cabinet Minister Kiren Rijiju to oversee the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, in addition to his existing portfolio overseeing the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
Paras, the President of the Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party (RLJP), tendered his resignation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi a day earlier.
His decision to step down precedes his announcement of candidacy for the Hajipur constituency in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Paras awaits the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) candidate list, urging the allocation of seats to RLJP members.
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He has warned the BJP to explore alternative options if their demands are not met.
This development unfolds amidst internal discord within the RLJP and its parent party, Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), indicating broader power struggles within the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) political circle.
Furthermore, the BJP’s recent alliance with Paras’s estranged nephew, Chirag Paswan, in Bihar adds complexity to the political landscape.
The assignment of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries to Union Minister Kiren Rijiju and the resignation of Pashupati Kumar Paras signify ongoing political maneuvering and alliance dynamics within the NDA ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
