Anupriya Patel: Mirzapur MP from Apna Dal makes a comeback
Patel made a re-entry as she earlier served as a minister of state in the first NDA government.
Apna Dal leader Anupriya Patel will join the Union Cabinet on Wednesday as she joins 42 new entrants ahead of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet reshuffle. The buzz regarding Anupriya Patel joining the cabinet became louder when Union home minister Amit Shah and Bharatiya Janata Party chief JP Nadda met Patel earlier this month.
Apna Dal president Anupriya Patel earlier demanded a separate ministry be formed to solve the problems being faced by other backward classes (OBC) citing gaps in inequality. Patel who hails from the Kurmi community and was in the Union cabinet during the first five years of Modi government also demanded setting up a national memorial in Delhi for Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
“We have demanded the formation of a ministry for OBC on the lines of the Ministry of Minorities to solve the problems of the backward classes,” Patel was quoted as saying by news agency PTI last week. Apna Dal also demanded that the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission be implemented so that farmers can get a fair share for their produce.
People familiar with the developments told news agency PTI that the BJP is giving smaller parties berths in the cabinet with eye on Uttar Pradesh assembly polls. However, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said that the rejig and appointment of leaders from backward communities are being done to divert the attention from real issues affecting the nation.
