Two more Muslims sworn in, total number up to six.
By TCN Staff Reporter,
New Delhi: K Rehman Khan, Congress Rajya Sabha MP from Karnataka, is the new Cabinet Minister for the Minority Affairs. Khan was so far Deputy Chairman of the Upper House.
So long Salman Khurshid was holding the additional charge of minority ministry, along with the Law Ministry. Khurshid is likely to become the next Minister of External Affairs.
K Rehman Khan
Ninong Ering, Congress MP from Arunachal Pradesh, becomes the new MoS in the Minority Affairs ministry.
Tarique Anwar of NCP was also sworn in as minister of state (MoS). He will work under his his party supremo Sharad Pawar, as Mos for Agriculture & Food Processing Industries.
Abu Hasem Khan Choudhury, Congress MP from Malda South in West Bengal and brother of late Ghani Khan Choudhury, was also sworn in as MoS. He will be in the ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
This brings the total number of Muslim ministers in the Manmohan Singh cabinet to six.
Besides Khurshid, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Farooq Abdullah are ministers of cabinet rank; while E. Ahmed is a MoS.
In all a total of 22 ministers were today administered the oath, in what PM Manmohan Singh described as the last probable reshuffle before the elections.