‘Not said it like that’: BJP minister after announcing S Jaishankar’s Lok Sabha plan
Nirmala Sitharaman and S Jaishankar are two of the most eloquent ministers of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cabinet.
New Delhi: Union minister Pralhad Joshi on Tuesday said that Nirmala Sitharaman and S Jaishankar may contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. He later retracted the remark.
Nirmala Sitharaman and S Jaishankar are two of the most eloquent ministers of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cabinet. They are members of the Upper House of Parliament, Rajya Sabha.
While Nirmala Sitharaman is the finance minister, S Jaishankar holds the external affairs portfolio.
They have been MPs for a long time now but haven't faced popular elections.
Joshi revealed that the party is planning their electoral debut in the Lok Sabha elections this year.
Joshi, who holds the Coal and Mines portfolio, said it has not been decided if Nirmala Sitharaman and S Jaishankar will contest from Karnataka.
"It is appearing in the media. More or less it is final that they (Nirmala Sitharaman and Jaishankar) will contest the Lok Sabha elections. It has not been decided yet from where they will fight, whether it is in Karnataka or some other state," Joshi was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
To a question whether it will be Bengaluru, Joshi said, “How can I answer when nothing has been finalised?”
He, however, later retracted the remark.
"I have only said that anybody can contest, and not specifically (named anyone). It is a national party and our leadership will decide. I have not said it like that," he told PTI.
While Sitharaman currently represents Karnataka in the Rajya Sabha, S Jaishankar represents Gujarat.
Nirmala Sitharaman and S Jaishankar's foray into politics
Nirmala Sitharaman joined the BJP in 2008 and served as the national spokesperson of the party till 2014. She became a junior minister after Narendra Modi became the prime minister of the country. The same year she became a member of the Rajya Sabha from Andhra Pradesh.
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Nirmala Sitharaman has served as the defence minister of the country between 2017 and 2019.
S Jaishankar is a career diplomat. In 2015, he served as the foreign secretary. In 2019, he was inducted into Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cabinet. He was also nominated to the Rajya Sabha. Over the years, he has attained popularity on social media due to his staunch defense of the Indian foreign policy on international forums.