Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi resigns as union minister a day before end of RS term

Senior BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Wednesday submitted his resignation from the Union council of ministers as his term as lawmaker is coming to an end.

The minister will cease to be a member of the Rajya Sabha on Thursday and as per rules ministers have to be elected to either house of Parliament within six months of being appointed. According to constitutional expert PDT Achary, since the minister will cease to be a member of the House, he will have to resign from his position as per the law.

“Ministers have six months to be appointed as members of Parliament, but in this case, they are not eligible for the provision as it cannot be applicable in continuation. They will have to resign,” he said.

In the last round of nominations to the Rajya Sabha, the BJP sprang a surprise by not renominating Naqvi, who earlier represented Jharkhand in the Upper House.

Naqvi currently holds the portfolio of minority affairs and is the only Muslim face in the Union council of ministers. There has been speculation that the party could nominate Naqvi for a gubernatorial position or as the nominee for the vice-presidential election to be held on August 6. There has also been talk of Naqvi being renominated to the Upper House from Tripura, where a seat has fallen vacant after Manik Saha was appointed the chief minister.

On Wednesday, Naqvi met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president JP Nadda and submitted his resignation soon after.

The PM also praised the work of JDU leader RCP Singh, who holds the portfolio of steel and whose term in the RS also ends on Thursday.

He too was not renominated by the JDU. Though there has been speculation that he will join the BJP; party leaders in the BJP have dismissed the possibility. The BJP runs a coalition government in Bihar with the JDU and will not want to upset its ally by taking Singh on board, a BJP functionary said.