In a sudden development, Kiren Rijiju was moved out of the law ministry and replaced by Arjun Ram Meghwal on Thursday.
A brief communique of Rashtrapati Bhavan said President Droupadi Murmu, as advised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has reallocated portfolios among ministers in the Union Council of Ministers. The portfolio of (the) Ministry of Earth Sciences be assigned to Shri Kiren Rijiju,” it said.
Meghwal is currently the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and the Minister of State for Culture.
He has been assigned independent charge as Minister of State in the Ministry of Law and Justice in addition to his existing portfolios, according to the communique.
Rijiju will take over from Union Minister Jitendra Singh, who was holding charge of the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
Meanwhile, Rijiju said it was a privilege to serve as Union Minister of Law and Justice and thanked the entire judiciary, including Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, for their “huge support”. He further said that he is now looking forward to fulfilling Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision in the Earth Sciences Ministry. Rijiju’s remarks came hours after he was divested of the Law and Justice portfolio and made the Minister for Earth Sciences in a surprise reshuffle of ministers by the prime minister.
He also thanked Chief Justice of India Chandrachud, all judges of the Supreme Court, Chief Justices and judges of high courts, lower judiciary and law officers for the “huge support” in ensuring delivering ease of justice and providing legal services for citizens.
“I look forward to fulfilling the vision of PM Narendra Modi ji in the Earth Sciences Ministry with the same zeal and vigour I have imbibed as a humble ‘karyakarta’ of (the) BJP,” Rijiju, a three-term Lok Sabha member from Arunachal Pradesh, said.