Cabinet Expansion: Anupriya Patel, Thrown Out Of Party By Mother, Is New Minister

New Delhi: Anupriya Patel, a first-time MP from Uttar Pradesh, is among the 19 new ministers in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government.

The 36-year-old lawmaker from Mirzapur is the youngest in the rejigged council of ministers.

"It feels great. I am ready for it," Ms Patel told NDTV.

One person who is probably not celebrating is her mother Krishna Patel, the chief of the BJP's Uttar Pradesh ally Apna Dal.

Last year, Krishna Patel suspended her daughter for six years for "anti-party activities" and stripped her of all posts. Since the death of Ms Patel's father Sone Lal Patel in a road accident in 2009, mother and daughter have fought bitterly over control of the party.

Asked about the family feud, she said: "I have no rift with my mother. Only because of her blessings and the hard work of my father, am I here today."

Ms Patel's supporters insist she represents the real Apna Dal and no one has the right to expel her.

Sources say the BJP sees her as an important addition from Uttar Pradesh, where elections are due next year. Ms Patel represents the Kurmis, a politically significant backward caste in the state. She is seen as a counter to another Kurmi leader, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who has been proactive in the state as parties prep for polls.

A psychology graduate from Delhi's prestigious LSR College and also an MBA, Ms Patel debuted as lawmaker after winning the 2012 Uttar Pradesh election. Two years later, she won a Lok Sabha seat.

"My father never desired politics for me and my siblings. It was his sudden death which propelled me into politics," said the young politician, who has a brother and a sister.

Ms Patel has often drawn praise in Parliament for her articulate speeches.

Apna Dal has two members in the Lok Sabha. The other MP, Haribansh Singh, is loyal to Ms Patel's mother.

Recently, Krishna Patel threatened to snap ties with the BJP if her estranged daughter was made a minister.