NEW DELHI:
Union minister
Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday received
additional charge
of
ministry of food processing Industries
, according to a Rashtrapati Bhavan notification.
After accepting the resignation of Pashupati Kumar Paras from union council of ministers with immediate effect, President Droupadi Murmu assigned cabinet minister Kiren Rijiju
food processing industries ministry
, in addition to his existing portfolio of ministry of earth sciences.
Paras, Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party (RLJP) president, submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday. Paras announced his candidacy for the Hajipur constituency in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, awaiting the candidate list from the BJP, RLJP’s ally. He urged BJP to allocate seats to RLJP members, warning of alternative options if not accommodated.
This move comes amid internal turmoil within the RLJP and its parent party, Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), reflecting broader power struggles within the NDA political circle. BJP has formed a seat pact with Paras’s estranged nephew, Chirag Paswan, in Bihar, further complicating the political landscape.
