Kiren Rijiju, who was shunted out as the union law minister he became in July 2021 on Friday said the reshuffle should not be seen as a "punishment" in a surprise cabinet rejig to the relatively low-key ministry of earth sciences.
Quite useful department: Rijiju after joining Earth Sciences
Taking new charge as union minister of earth sciences, Rijiju said: "This is a very interesting ministry and is quite a useful department in the present time."
Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate takes a dig at Rijiju
His removal from the law ministry came as a big surprise to many and also invited sharp reactions from the Opposition. Taking a swipe at him, Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate tweeted: "What went wrong? Did the loudmout put executive and judiciary at warpath." She wondered if he was acting only at the instance of Prime Minister Modi.
Rijiju replaced by Arjun Ram Meghwal
Kiren Rijiju was on Thursday replaced by Arjun Ram Meghwal as the Union minister for law and justice. The three-time Lok Sabha MP from Arunachal Pradesh has been assigned charge of the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
A statement from the Rashtrapati Bhavan said: “The portfolio of (the) Ministry of Earth Sciences be assigned to Shri Kiren Rijiju.”
Meghwal was the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs since 2017 & Culture since 2021.
About Rijiju's career
Rijiju served as the law minister from July 8, 2021 till Thursday, when he was reassigned to the ministry of Earth Sciences. Prior to this, he served as the Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Youth Affairs and Sports from May 2019 to July 2021.
During his tenure as the law minister, often there was a tussle between the Central government and the Supreme Court which began with the appointment of judges through the Collegium system. The collegium, headed by the Chief Justice of India (CJI) and comprising other senior judges, recommends judges to be appointed to various high courts and elevated to the SC, which are confirmed by the central government.
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