Narendra Modi created history on Sunday (June 9) by taking oath as prime minister for the third term, heading a 72-member Union Council of Ministers. Interestingly, two of the new ministers of state - Ravneet Singh Bittu and George Kurian - are not members of either Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha.
According to the norms, the duo is required to become a member of Parliament within six months of their oath-taking.
Who is George Kurian?
The ministerial berth of Kerala BJP General Secretary George Kurian in the third Modi government is indeed a reward for a loyal party worker who has been active in the saffron party movement post-Emergency in the late 1970s. He has been with the BJP since it was founded in 1980. BJP first time successfully breached Left's fortress in Kerala by winning the Thrissur seat. Hailing from Kottayam district of Kerala, Kurian, a committed BJP worker who held the party flag high during its ups and downs, has never been identified with any of the factions of the saffron party in the state.
Enjoying a good relationship with several national leaders of the BJP, Kurian worked in almost all the key posts of the state party, such as vice president and general secretary, for several years.
Committed to the BJP's core ideology, Kurian was in the state leadership of the BJP's youth wing, when it was headed by Govindacharya, Pramod Mahajan, and Venkaiah Naidu.
A lawyer by profession, Kurian held various posts, including national vice president of the Yuva Morcha, Minority Morcha, and National Council member of the BJP.
He was Officer on Special Duty to O Rajagopal when the veteran leader was the union railway minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.
The ministerial berth of Kurian, known for his no-nonsense style of functioning, is also widely seen as a message by the saffron party to the Christian community that it wants to further strengthen its bond with them in Kerala.
Who is Ravneet Singh Bittu?
Bittu is a 'Baazigar' (Denoting to a person who is rewarded despite of a loss) of politics. He got a ministerial post despite an electoral defeat. Even though he lost from the Ludhiana parliamentary seat, Bittu became a Minister of State in the third Narendra Modi-led cabinet.
Bittu, 48, lost to Congress candidate and state unit chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring from the Ludhiana Lok Sabha seat by a margin of 20,942 votes. He is the grandson of late Beant Singh, who was assassinated in August 1995 when he was the Punjab chief minister.
Bittu is a three-time MP — twice from Ludhiana and once from Anandpur Sahib, both times on a Congress ticket. He defected to the BJP this March, leaving several Congress leaders surprised. At the time of joining, Bittu had praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, saying that they have a lot of affection for Punjab and want to do a lot for the state.
(With PTI inputs)
