New Delhi: Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal, Union Health Minister Dr Harshvardha and Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar have resigned from the Union Cabinet ahead of the scheduled mega Cabinet reshuffle on Wednesday evening. Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Minister of Information and Broadcasting and Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Prakash Javadekar along with Ravi Shankar Prasad, Union Minister holding the Law and Justice, Electronics and Information Technology and Communications, also quit ahead of Cabinet reshuffle.
Thaawarchand Gehlot, who has been appointed as governor of Karnataka, on Wednesday tendered his resignation as a member of Rajya Sabha.
Minister of State for Woman and Child Development Debasree Chaudhuri has also resigned. Gangwar, who held the position of Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Labour and Employment resigned from his post early this morning.
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When asked whether he has resigned from the post of Labour Minister, Gangwar answered in the affirmative. "Yes I have resigned," he told media agencies adding that he is not aware of what his new role in the government would be.
According to reports, Minister for chemicals and fertilisers Sadananda Gowda and Pratap Sarangi, Union Minister of State for Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries also quit ahead of Cabinet reshuffle. The list also includes the names of Education MoS and BJP MP Sanjay Dhotre and Union MoS for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Raosaheb Patil Danve along with Lok Sabha MP from Ambala Rattan Lal Kataria.
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Babul Supriyo, MoS Environment, Forest & Climate Change has also resigned from the Council of Ministers ahead of the Union Cabinet reshuffle. MoS Health Ashwini Kumar Choubey has also quit ahead of the Cabinet reshuffle.
Saumitra Khan, BJP MP from Bishnupur has also resigned as BJYM President of West Bengal.
According to Rashtrapati Bhavan, the President of India, as advised by the Prime Minister, has accepted the resignation of these members of the Council of Ministers, with immediate effect.
This is the first reshuffle in the Council of Ministers by Prime Minister Narendra Modi since he assumed charge for a second term in May 2019. The Prime Minister is expected to bring in young faces and give representation to various social groups and regions in the reshuffle.
Meanwhile, the Union Cabinet expansion is to be held at 6 pm on Wednesday.
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