bureaucrat turned politician Arjun Ram Meghwal took over as the Minister of Law and Justice on Thursday. He has taken over this responsibility in place of Kiren Rijiju, who has been removed from the post of Law and Justice Minister in a sudden reshuffle in the cabinet and given the command of the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
No conflict with judiciary – Meghwal
Meghwal, soon after assuming office, said there was no conflict with the judiciary and his priority would be to ensure speedy justice for all. He told reporters here, “There is a cordial relationship between the executive and the judiciary and it will remain cordial and constitutional.”
Meghwal has a big responsibility before the Rajasthan elections
He is also working as the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Culture. Meghwal has been given the new responsibility before the assembly elections in Rajasthan to be held later this year. He said, “My top priority will be to provide speedy justice to all.” On the other hand, Kiren Rijiju met Meghwal and wished him the best for his new responsibility.
Third MP to become Law Minister from Bikaner Lok Sabha seat
Meghwal, a third-time MP from Rajasthan’s Bikaner Lok Sabha seat, is the third minister to hold the charge as Minister of State for Law and Justice with independent charge. Earlier, Ramakant Khalap, a Lok Sabha member of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, was made the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Law in 1996 in the government of the then Prime Minister Indrakumar Gujral. Later, in the government of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Arun Jaitley remained in this position for almost two years from 2000 to 2002. After this he worked for some time in Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as General Secretary and National Spokesperson. In January 2003, he joined the Union Government as a cabinet minister.
Meghwal SC face of BJP in Rajasthan
Meghwal’s appointment comes ahead of the assembly elections to be held in his home state Rajasthan. Considered the Scheduled Caste (SC) face of the BJP in the state, his appointment to the high-profile job is expected to strengthen the party’s support base among the community. Given the ongoing tussle over the chief minister’s post in the Rajasthan BJP, should the party win elections this year, some believe Meghwal has now joined the long list of candidates for the post.
Meghwal came to politics leaving IAS
The 69-year-old, who is a post-graduate in political science and also holds a law and MBA degree, was a Rajasthan Administrative Service officer before being promoted to the IAS. Before the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, Meghwal took voluntary retirement to contest from the Bikaner parliamentary constituency on a BJP ticket. Before the elections, the Bikaner seat was occupied by actor Dharmendra. But after delimitation in 2009, it was declared a reserved seat for Scheduled Castes and the BJP selected Meghwal for it. While Congress’s Rewat Ram Panwar as a former MLA was leading, Meghwal won by around 20,000 votes.
Meghwal entered Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Council of Ministers in 2016.
In 2016, Meghwal entered Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Council of Ministers – as MoS, Finance and Corporate Affairs – as the party sought to improve caste equations in Rajasthan after dropping Ganganagar MP and MoS, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Nihal Chand Meghwal. demanded a balance. , Also after the exit of an SC leader, Nihal Chand, there was a probe against him in a 2011 rape case.
Became MP by defeating actor Dharmendra
Speaking to reporters after taking over as Law Minister on Thursday, Meghwal said, “I want to thank the Prime Minister for reposing faith in me. The Constitution teaches us everything we need to know. I will work according to that. Beyond political career, Meghwal has a passion for singing bhajans and recently sang in the 100th episode of PM Modi’s Mann Ki Baat.
Know how was the tenure of former Law Minister Kiren Rijiju, facing the sarcasm of the opposition?
