Ravneet Singh Bittu, who lost from Ludhiana, says Modi picked him for Cabinet 3.0

Ravneet Singh Bittu said that Narendra Modi has chosen him for the council of ministers to ensure Punjab's progress.

Updated on: Jun 9, 2024, 19:18:45 IST

By HT News Desk

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Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ravneet Singh Bittu, who lost the Lok Sabha elections from Ludhiana in Punjab, said Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi has chosen him for the council of ministers to ensure Punjab's progress.

Ravneet Singh Bittu lost the Lok Sabha elections from Ludhiana in Punjab. (Hindustan Times)

Bittu emphasised that Punjab’s development is a “priority” for the BJP-led NDA government. At 48, he is a three-time MP and a former Congress leader who joined the BJP just before the Lok Sabha polls.

Although Bittu was fielded by the BJP from the Ludhiana constituency, he lost to Congress’ Amrinder Singh Raja Warring.

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In a statement to PTI, Bittu explained that he left the Congress because he wanted Punjab to have representation in the Union government.

“I didn’t want to sit in the opposition benches for the fourth time. The BJP fulfilled my dream and said Punjab is a priority, whether we win the election or not, and gave me a ministerial berth even though I was not elected. This shows Punjab is on the NDA government’s priority list,” he told PTI.

Bittu added that the BJP aims to see Punjab prosper and free the state from debt and drugs.

“The BJP and the NDA government want to bring Punjab back on the right track,” he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's new cabinet will have 30 other cabinet ministers, five ministers of state with independent charge and 36 ministers of state.

The cabinet comprises 27 ministers from other backward classes (OBC), ten ministers from Scheduled Castes, five ministers from Scheduled Tribes and five members from the minority communities.

Sri Lankan president Ranil Wickremesinghe,President of Maldives Mohamed Muizzu Seychelles vice-president of Seychelles Ahmed Afif, Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina, Mauritian prime minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth; Prime Minister of Nepal Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda'; and Prime Minister of Bhutan, Tshering Tobgay are among the leaders present at the ceremony.

(With inputs from PTI)

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