By Bhupen Goswami

 

Guwahati : The newly inducted Narendra Modi cabinet has two representatives the Northeast region of India — familiar face Kiren Rijiju and debutante Rameswar Teli — from Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, respectively.Assam’s Rameswar Teli has given the portfolio of Minister of State in the Ministry of Food

Processing Industries under the Modi Government 2.0. This was confirmed via a Press Communique issued from the President’s Office earlier today.

Meanwhile, Kiren Rijiju, the BJP’s poster boy in the Northeast, has been given the portfolio of Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Minority Affairs.

Teli, who swore in with an Assamese ‘gamusa’ draped around his neck, will begin his first stint as a Union Minister. Meanwhile, Rijiju has found a place in the Modi cabinet for the second time in a row.

Teli took oath as a Union Minister at the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan in front of thousands of national and international dignitaries and with crores watching on their television screens across the world as Narendra Modi was sworn in for his successive term along with his new Cabinet.

Teli, who also won the election in 2014 from Dibrugarh, is best known for working closely working with the tea tribe communities of Assam. It may be mentioned that Teli rewrote the electoral record books by winning the Lok Sabha  with the highest margin ever recorded in the state.

Meanwhile, Rijiju won the Lok Sabha contest from the Arunachal West Constituency, beating his nearest competitor, Nabam Tuki, by a hefty margin. is returning to the Union council of minister with a ‘promotion’ as a Minister of State with independent charge. After having secured the prestigious Dibrugarh Lok Sabha constituency for the second consecutive term with the biggest margin in Assam, Rameshwar Teli has been sworn in as the Minister of State.

Jubilant with the news of his induction in Narendra Modi’s new team of ministers, Teli said Rashtriya Khabar , “It’s a huge responsibility and I will try to do justice with my action. People from Assam and the PM have bestowed their blessings on me and it’s now my time to deliver.”