New Delhi: BJP president Amit Shah thanked his fellow ministers after being sworn in as a union cabinet minister Thursday. He got the coveted Home Ministry Friday.
I also congratulate all my colleagues who were sworn in today as ministers in the Modi government.
Let us work hard to take forward the pledge of creating a strong and prosperous New India under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi ji.
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) May 30, 2019
Former Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj may not have got a cabinet berth but she still thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for giving her the opportunity to serve the people and said she believed the new government would be very successful under him. As Tom Jones once sang, “She’s a lady…”
प्रधान मंत्री जी – आपने 5 वर्षों तक मुझे विदेश मंत्री के तौर पर देशवासियों और प्रवासी भारतीयों की सेवा करने का मौका दिया और पूरे कार्यकाल में व्यक्तिगत तौर पर भी बहुत सम्मान दिया. मैं आपके प्रति बहुत आभारी हूँ. हमारी सरकार बहुत यशस्विता से चले, प्रभु से मेरी यही प्रार्थना है.
— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) May 30, 2019
Translation: Prime Minister: You have given me an opportunity to serve the countrymen and overseas Indians as Foreign Minister for 5 years and have also personally given great respect throughout the tenure. I am very grateful to you Our government is very successful, this is my prayer to the Lord.
BJP’s Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy is in a philosophical mood: he says not being made finance minister doesn’t bother him because he is Gita bhakt. Past experience has taught him that such “disappointments” lead to something better later. With Mr. Jaitley out of the cabinet, is his new BFF going to be Nirmala Sitharaman?
Thanks to PTs for your tweets expressing your sentiments on my not being made FM. Such denials make no difference to me since I believe and follow the Gita. My past experience is that such "disappointments" lead to something better later.
— Subramanian Swamy (@Swamy39) May 30, 2019
Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy boasted of his meeting with Congress president — at least for now — Rahul Gandhi and the smooth functioning of the Congress-JD(S) coalition, while appealing to him not to quit. Is Rahul listening?
I called on AICC President @RahulGandhi today.We spoke about the current political scenario in the State and how the coalition govt is functioning smoothly with cooperation& coordination between both the parties.
I appealed to Rahul Gandhi to not quit the AICC president position. pic.twitter.com/D8ET8USrjG— H D Kumaraswamy (@hd_kumaraswamy) May 30, 2019
Following Kumaraswamy, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi also confirmed the well-being of the Congress-JD(S) coalition. He cited positive reports for coalition candidates from urban local elections in Karnataka. Maybe, it’s not all downhill for them.
Positive reports from Urban local elections in Karnataka. Shows that the Congress-JDS government is delivering on the ground. https://t.co/3rYTJY2ok7
— Gaurav Gogoi (@GauravGogoiAsm) May 31, 2019
As Kiren Rijiju took oath as MoS (Independent Charge) Youth Affairs and Sports, he thanked Governor of Meghalaya Tathagata Roy for his wishes and dedicated himself to the northeast –and the nation.
Thank you hon'ble Governor @tathagata2 ji. I'll give my full dedication with total sincerity to make North-East prosperous and to serve our nation. https://t.co/pjLpJbsvjL
— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) May 31, 2019
Maybe he can make a start making the northeast prosperous by following the advice of Mahila Congress head Sushmita Dev on the NRC?
This is a case that shows that the implementation process of NRC is flawed. While NRC feeds the anti foreigner sentiment, it is causing grave injustice to citizens. https://t.co/tNzoYmwGnw
— Sushmita Dev (@sushmitadevinc) May 30, 2019
Our old/new Minister of Food Processing Industries Harsimrat Kaur Badal was clearly excited about being re-inducted in the Council of Ministers, Thursday — look at the number of photographs she posted of herself being sworn in.
I thank PM @narendramodi ji for reposing faith in me & inducting me in the council of ministers for the second term. Gratitude to @BJP4India chief @AmitShah ji also. I assure to do my utmost to come up to everyone’s expectations.#ModiSwearingIn #ModiSarkar2 #ModiCabinet pic.twitter.com/bC7rVdKNsw
— Harsimrat Kaur Badal (@HarsimratBadal_) May 30, 2019
Congress announced it won’t be participating in any TV debates for a month While most Congress leaders have gone on a maun vrat, spokesperson Pawan Khera tried to explain the decision, but with so many rhetorical questions that we wish he goes on a maun vrat too.
Is it silence? Is it boycott? Is there a need to carefully hear the voice of India? Is it to find out if people want to hear issues we raise? Is it to find out issues India wants opposition & media to raise? Is it to leave ‘Astha’ channels & their biases alone?Questions questions https://t.co/n2mWN3JQ3s
— Pawan Khera (@Pawankhera) May 30, 2019
Chief Minister of Punjab and military historian Captain Amarinder Singh isn’t keeping quiet either. He congratulated Admiral Karambir Singh for taking over as the new chief of the Indian Navy, saying it was a proud moment for Punjab. Looks like you can take the man out of the fauj, but never the fauj out of the man.
Congratulations to Admiral Karambir Singh for taking over as the new Chief of the @indiannavy. Proud moment for Punjab, Grey Eagle! pic.twitter.com/ubQBaK6saQ
— Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) May 31, 2019
Nothing and no one can silence Shashi Tharoor. He’s storming Twitter with tweets about the swearing-in ceremony, talking to Bollywood stars who attended it, the new cabinet, how the English cricket team is a great advertiser for immigration, etc. He also got cheeky about the Indian team winning the World Cup and also bringing home the Kohinoor diamond. We’ll settle for the World Cup, Mr Tharoor.
I think one goal is slightly more plausible than the other, but no harm wishing for both!! https://t.co/VHS1s2b4gh
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) May 30, 2019
And lastly, one bit of bad news for BJP: while the oath-taking ceremony was taking place Thursday, something was up with the Delhi BJP website. Somebody hacked it and served up some…..
Delhi BJP Website has been compromised. Multiple Beef recipes added. pic.twitter.com/d1tAvaqYl3
— Pratik Sinha (@free_thinker) May 30, 2019
With inputs from Rachel John
Also read: Narendra Modi loves disruption, and the Amit Shah-Jaishankar portfolios prove that