Balyan, elected from Muzaffarnagar is among two party MPs from Western UP who have been given representation in Modi's ministerial council. Ghazibad MP and former Army chief V K Singh is the other MP from the region.
Balyan was part of a mahapanchayat held last year despite prohibitory orders that allegedly inflamed tensions. He was charged by the police with violation of prohibitory orders and promoting enmity between two communities.
BJP has maintained that Baliyan was framed in a politically motivated case. The Muzaffarnagar riots had claimed more than 60 lives.
