Union Cabinet reshuffle: Kiren Rijiju replaced by Arjun Ram Meghwal as Union Law Minister

In the latest reshuffle to the union cabinet, on Thursday (May 18), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Arjun Ram Meghwal replaced Kiren Rijiju as the Union Law and Justice Minister. Meghwal will also be taking overthe existing portfolios of Rijiju apart from the Law Ministry as a part of his rejig. Meghwal has been assigned an independent charge of the minister in addition to his existing portfolios.

A press release from the Rashtrapati Bhawan said, "Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal, Minister of State be assigned the independent charge as Minister of State in the Ministry of Law and Justice in addition to his existing portfolios, in place of Shri Kiren Rijiju."

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Currently, Meghwal is the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and the Minister of State for Culture.

The statement added that the portfolio of (the) Ministry of Earth Sciences be assigned to Rijiju. Earlier, Union Minister Jitendra Singh was holding charge of the ministry.

"Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal, Minister of State be assigned the independent charge as Minister of State in the Ministry of Law and Justice in addition to his existing portfolios, in place of Shri Kiren Rijiju," stated the press release.

The statement issued by the Rashtrapati Bhavan said that the reallocation of portfolios among ministers was done by President Droupadi Murmu as advised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Rijiju took over as the Union Law and Justice Minister on July 8, 2021. Prior to this, he served as the Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Youth Affairs and Sports from May 2019 to July 2021. He will now be handling the Ministry of Earth Sciences.

Who is Arjun Ram Meghawal?

Arjun Ram Meghwal was born on December 20, 1953. He was an IAS Officer in the Rajasthan Cadre and was regarded as the face of the Schedule Caste in the state.

His political career began in 2009 when he got elected as the Member of Parliament representing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from the Bikaner Constituency and took oath as the Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha.

During the general election in 2014, he got re-elected from the Bikaner Constituency. During his second term in the constituency, he was also the Chief Whip of the BJP in Lok Sabha.

In 2013, Meghwal also served as the minister of State for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises and was even awarded with the Best Parliamentarian award.

(With inputs from agencies)

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