Cabinet Reshuffle 2017: Nirmala Sitharaman gets Defence Ministry. She was Commerce Minister previously.
in fresh cabinet reshuffle in the Narendra Modi government - the third since he took charge as Prime Minister. Four ministers - Piyush Goyal, Nirmala Sitharaman, Dharmendra Pradhan, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi - were elevated to cabinet level. Arun Jaitley will keep Finance, and Piyush Goyal has been assigned Railways. Nirmala Sitharaman has been given Defence. PM Modi had met the ministers ahead of the ceremony and reportedly told them to perform and "do a good job". Six ministers had resigned to make way for the new faces; sources said they were sacked over performance, as PM Modi looks to streamline government performance and efficiency ahead of the 2019 national elections when he will seek a second term.
Here are the highlights from PM Modi's cabinet reshuffle today:
Nine new faces were today inducted into the Cabinet including four former senior bureaucrats and BJP leaders from Karnataka, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh which are scheduled go to polls next year.
Cabinet Reshuffle Modi: Complete List Of Who Got What
In Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mega cabinet reshuffle today, four ministers were promoted to Cabinet rank while nine new ministers took oath. The ministers met PM Modi and Amit Shah this morning at the PM's residence before their oath ceremony where the PM reportedly told them to perform and do a "good job". Government sources said PM Modi based his selection of new members for his team on "4Ps - passion, proficiency, professional and political acumen", to deliver on his vision of "a new India"." itemprop="description
Very Significant Landmark In This Reshuffle: Arun Jaitley
- We now have Nirmala Sitharaman as the new Defence Minister
- It is a case where a minister performs well and earns a higher responsibility for herself (Nirmala Sitharaman)
- I am sure, now that I have an extremely competent successor in Nirmala Sitharaman, she will carry the road forward
- I'll leave tonight for Japan. New Defence Minister should have been going but logistically doesn't seem possible, today being a Sunday
- I'll continue for next 2 days to participate in the security dialogue and Nirmala Sitharaman will take charge of ministry as soon as dialogue ends
Nirmala Sitharaman Thanks 'Cosmic Grace' For Getting Defence Portfolio
"Somebody who has come from a small town, grown into the party with all the support of the leadership, and if given such responsibility, it just makes you feel sometimes that cosmic grace is there. Otherwise it is impossible," Nirmala Sitharaman told reporters after taking oath.
Suresh Prabhu welcomes dear friend Piyush Goel as new Railways Minister:
Cabinet Reshuffle: A Glance At Who Gets What
Suresh Prabhu has been given Commerce Ministry which was held by Nirmala Sitharaman.
Nirmala Sitharaman will take charge of the crucial ministry from Arun Jaitley, who was initially handed Finance and Defence but decided to give away the latter.
BREAKING NEWS: India gets its new Defence Minister - Nirmala Sitharaman. She is the first woman minister to head Defence after Indira Gandhi.
Titbits from oath ceremony:
All ministers except for three took oath in Hindi during a swearing-in ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
The three ministers who took oath in English were Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, former diplomat Hardeep Singh Puri and former bureaucrat Alphons Kannanthanam.
JUST IN: Arun Jaitley may give up Defence Ministry after he returns from his Japan trip on Tuesday. He currently has Finance and Defence both.
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah tweets:
Take a look at the new ministers with President Kovind and PM Modi
Congress' best wishes for new ministers comes with a warning:
JDU's KC Tyagi refrains from commenting on cabinet reshuffle:
As big reshuffle in cabinet team of PM Modi took place, there were a flurry of wishes on Twitter from political leaders:
Government's image is already tarnished. Whatever changes they make, it's tough to rebuild the image, said Congress' Ghulam Nabi Azad.
"I have only taken the oath now. I am not informed that responsibilities will I have. When the responsibilities will be given to me, I will study them and then respond," RK Singh said after taking oath as Minister of State
JUST IN: Defence Ministry remains with Arun Jaitley, he keeps Finance too, Piyush Goyal gets Railways.
Former Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan says PM has limited option for defence:
Suresh Prabhu congratulates new cabinet ministers. However, whether he gets defence department or not will be known soon.
He also tweets goodbye to the Railways:
PM Modi congratulates those who took oath today. "Their experience and wisdom will add immense value to the Council of Ministers," he tweeted.
In the meanwhile, this is what Lalu Yadav said:
PM Modi Off to China for BRICS
Rajiv Pratap Rudy Was Told 'Please Quit'
Sources said
Rajiv Pratap Rudy, a three-time MP from Saran in Bihar, landed at Patna on Thursday accompanied by his wife. When he switched on his phone, he reportedly was inundated with messages and calls from his office in Delhi that said BJP chief Amit Shah was trying to reach him. His office suggested he rush back to the capital.
Mr Rudy left his wife in Patna and flew back to Delhi in the same Indigo plane and drove from the Delhi airport to meet Mr Shah. Though the two men had met the previous week, at this session, Mr Rudy was politely told to quit; he was assured his services will be used by the party as it campaigns for crucial states.
Mr Rudy returned to Patna next day and traveled to his constituency.
The oath ceremony for PM Modi's new team begins at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Leaders stand as the national anthem plays.
Cabinet ministers seated ahead of the oath ceremony.
JUST IN: PM Modi arrives at the Rashtrapathi Bhavan. The swearing-in ceremony to begin shortly.
DID YOU KNOW?
If Sushma Swaraj becomes the Defence Minister, she would be the second woman heading the department after Indira Gandhi
.
Who Gets Defence Department?
Reporters say Sushma Swaraj or Suresh Prabhu likely contenders for defence.
Ministers at Rashtrapati BhavanAs promotion awaits for four ministers, Dharmendra Pradhan and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi are seen greeting each other with smiles.
Uma Bharti will be skipping today's oath taking ceremony for PM Modi's new team, says she is out of town.
Latest visuals: Amit Shah leaves PM Modi's residence after meeting with the new ministers.
Here is what PM Modi told new ministers at meeting:
PM Modi wants the ministers to perform and do a good job. They have been chosen with great consideration. At the meeting, Amit Shah introduced all the ministers.
Nitish Kumar 'Disappointed'Sources say that JDU induction will happen later. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar "disappointed" with no call from PM Modi about his party's inclusion.
Who Gets Rail? Sources PredictSources say Piyush Goyal likely to replace Suresh Prabhu as the Railway Minister, reports NDTV's Sunil Prabhu.
PM Modi wants to make a New India: Shiv Pratap Shukla
- Cabinet secretary informed me about the swearing-in
- Every small to small work I will take it as challenge
- I will cooperate to the best of my abilities
Sources to NDTV have said that Raj Kumar Singh, KJ Alphons and Satya Pal to be Minister of State.
JUST IN: BJP chief Amit Shah arrives at PM Modi's residence where they will meet the new ministers ahead of the oath ceremony.
Former Union Home Secretary Raj Kumar Singh thanks PM Modi for choosing him as minister in the cabinet:
PM Modi will take the right decision, says BJP's Rahul Sinha
- He will take the cabinet in a right direction as he is leading the nation
- This is the third cabinet reshuffle
- We need to strengthen both our party and the cabinet
- PM Modi and Amit Shah are running the government and party with strength
- The cabinet reshuffle is a balance to pace up the tasks at cabinet, which will benefit the nation
Breakfast at 9 am at PM Modi's residence
The new ministers to join PM Modi for breakfast at his 7 Lok Kalyan Marg residence hours before they will be inducted into his team
in what is said to be the third reshuffle
since he took charge as the Prime Minister.
6 ministers have quit ahead of cabinet reshuffleSix ministers - Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Sanjeev Balyan, Faggan Singh Kulaste, Kalraj Mishra, Mahendra Nath Pandey and Bandaru Dattatreya - resigned to make way for the new faces; sources said they were largely pink-slipped over performance. Some are expected to be re-assigned to key roles within the BJP ahead of the 2019 national election.
PM Modi's new team to have 3 former bureaucrats
Retired diplomat Hardeep Puri, retired IAS officer KJ Alphons and former Home Secretary RK Singh, also a lawmaker, will be taking oath into PM Modi's cabinet. An ex-Mumbai police chief, now BJP lawmaker, Satya Pal Singh, will also be joining the new team.
"I have no knowledge about the cabinet reshuffle. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is our party president and whatever he has said would be right. Everybody should work on how to strengthen NDA and the party. This cabinet reshuffle might not be the last one. It is possible that the cabinet will be expanded with time," JDU's Kaushalendra Kumar said.
Who gets promoted to Union Cabinet?
Four Ministers of State with Independent Charge are expected to be promoted to members of the Union Cabinet. They are Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Power Minister Piyush Goyal, Petroluem Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi.
Celebrations were in place for BJP's Shiv Pratap Shukla, one of the nine ministers to join the Modi government, at his residence.
"I believe the information to be authentic only when I get it from official sources," said Mr Shukla.
President Ram Nath Kovind tweeted yesterday:
What to expect in third reshuffle of Modi's cabinet - At least two members from the BJP's latest ally, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JDU were expected to be included in the council of ministers today. But Mr Kumar said on Saturday evening that he had no knowledge of a reshuffle
- Allies have been left out of the cabinet rejig as the BJP leadership was unable to construct a please-all formula, reported news agency Press Trust of India, quoting sources.
- A new Defence Minister is expected to be appointed today, with Arun Jaitley retaining the Finance portfolio
- Suresh Prabhu is expected to give up the Railways Ministry and get another assignment
The theory of the 4 PsGovernment sources said PM Modi based his selection of new members for his team on "4Ps - passion, proficiency, professional and political acumen", to deliver on his vision of "a new India".
Here are the 9 new ministers in PM Modi's government