"Present govt has leaders expert in party hopping": Congress' Harish Rawat on Modi cabinet 3.0

Congress leader Harish Rawat on Tuesday criticized the NDA government for the absence of Muslim representation in its newly formed cabinet, asserting that this exclusion could tarnish the country's image on a global scale.

Congress leader Harish Rawat on Tuesday criticized the NDA government for the absence of Muslim representation in its newly formed cabinet, asserting that this exclusion could tarnish the country's image on a global scale. In a veiled jibe at JD(U) Chief Nitish Kumar who came out as a kingmaker of the NDA government formation, Rawat said, "The Union cabinet has been formed and the present government has leaders who are experts in party hopping."

Highlighting inconsistencies in the government's stance, Rawat added, "There are so many contradictions. On one side, PM Modi says no one will get reservation based on religion; on the other hand, Chandrababu Naidu says that in Andhra Pradesh, Muslims will get 4 percent reservation." On "no Muslim representation" in the Narendra Modi cabinet 3.0, Rawat said, "This affects the image of the country on the world level. We are known to endorse 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' and keeping a big part of the country's population out of the system, affects the respect of the country".

Meanwhile, Om Prakash Rajbhar, an ally of the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, on being asked about the lack of Muslim representation in Modi cabinet 3.0 said, "Muslims are responsible for their own condition. They do not raise leaders themselves and rely on Congress and SP, who are their biggest enemies. At the time of independence, 38 percent of Muslims were in government jobs. What has happened now? It's like a cow going to the butcher for protection." A total of 71 ministers have joined the Modi 3.0 cabinet on Monday.

All these ministers along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi took oath in a grand swearing-in ceremony on Sunday.The new council of ministers comprises 30 Cabinet ministers, 36 Ministers of State (MoS), and five MoS with independent charge.Narendra Modi took oath as Prime Minister for his third successive term at an impressive ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Sunday evening with 71 MPs from the BJP and its allies joining the party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government. (ANI)

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