New Delhi: Minority Affairs Minister Dr Najma A Heptulla resigned from her post on Tuesday with her deputy Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi being elevated to Independent charge. Minister of State for Heavy Industries G M Siddeshwara also resigned today.
Heptulla was on a two week break to the US at the time of reshuffle. She returned to Delhi yesterday.
After resigning from the cabinet, she said she has done so due to "personal reasons" and thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for giving her the opportunity to "serve" the people.
She also said she will be available for any responsibility given to her in future.
"I am extremely thankful to the Prime Minister for giving me the opportunity and honour to be in his Cabinet where I gained a lot of experience and have tried to fulfil his expectations towards 'sabka sath sabka vikas'.
"I will always be available for any responsibility given to me in future. I have resigned from my post due to personal reasons," she said.
There was speculation last week when Prime Minister Narendra Modi undertook the reshuffle that Heptulla and Minister of Small and Medium Enterprises Kalraj Mishra, who had recently turned 75, could be asked to quit.
Modi is believed to have set an age bar of 75 years for ministers and had kept veterans like L K Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi out of the Cabinet and co-opted them in ‘Margdarshak Mandal’.
In another development, MoS Babul Supriyo was relieved of his charge in Ministry of Urban Development, and Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation. He was reassigned the portfolio of MoS in the Ministry of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises.
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