Chirag Paswan gets Ministry of Food Processing in Modi 3.0 Cabinet

The self-described ‘Hanuman of Modi’ Chirag Paswan was allotted the charge of Ministry of Food Processing on June 10, a day after the LJP (Ram Vilas) chief took oath as a minister in the Modi 3.0 government. Kiren Rijiju was given additional charge of the ministry in Modi 2.0 government. 

Chirag Paswan’s political journey can be described as nothing short of meteoric. After the thumping victory in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the LJP (Ram Vilas) chief is now the third most important ally after TDP and JD(U) for BJP in the NDA fold.  

Scoring a 100 percent strike rate in all five seats -- Hajipur, Samastipur, Vaishali, Jamui and Khagaria -- the LJP (Ram Vilas) secured a Cabinet berth for its chief, who took oath in Modi 3.0 government on June 9. 

This sensational success has catapulted him as the new Dalit icon in Bihar politics, overshadowing many seasoned politicians. Paswan Junior solidified his leadership when he was elected as the LJP (RV) Parliamentary Party leader in a meeting at his Delhi residence on June 7. 

The 2024 Lok Sabha elections marked the first poll contested by the young Dalit leader since his father’s demise in 2020 and the subsequent split in his Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) into two factions -- National Lok Janshakti Party, led by Pashupati Kumar Paras (brother of Ram Vilas Paswan), and LJP (Ram Vilas) faction led by Chirag Paswan. 

The ‘Hanuman of Modi’ as he described himself in an interview with India Today, the young Dalit icon said he will fulfil his responsibilities with full honesty and hard work after his swearing-in as an Union minister in PM Modi’s government. Paswan thanked the PM for trusting him. 

“This is a huge responsibility for me... I will ensure that I fulfil this responsibility with full honesty and hard work... The credit for this goes to the Prime Minister. He had so much faith in a party with a single MP and gave it 5 seats... I have also given them all 5 seats by winning them,” Pawan told ANI. 

The LJP (Ram Vilas) Paswan chief registered a thumping victory in Bihar’s Hajipur Lok Sabha seat (represented eight times by his father Ram Vilas Paswan) by over 1.70 lakh votes against ruling RJD’s Shiv Chandra Ram. 

Besides Chirag Paswan, PM Modi inducted seven MPs from Bihar into his council of ministers, with four of them from the allies, a move seen as the BJP’s attempt to balance the caste equation ahead of the Bihar assembly elections in 2025. 

This time, the Union Cabinet comprises 72 ministers, nine short of its maximum strength of 81 members.