Danish Ansari thanks PM Modi, CM Yogi for ministerial role in UP Cabinet; 'Slap for Oppn'

A surprise pick in the UP Council of Ministers, Danish Ansari thanked PM Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for bestowing him with such an important responsibility. Having joined ABVP in his student days, the young politician is serving as the general secretary of UP BJP's minority wing and has been a member of the Urdu Language Committee since 2018.

Speaking to the media on Sunday, Ansari contended that his appointment as Minister of State was a big slap on the face of opposition parties who accuse BJP of being anti-Muslim. 

UP Minister Danish Ansari remarked, "I come from the Ansari family who are called weavers. Modi and Yogi Ji have given a big slap on the face of all the opposition parties by giving such a big post to a boy from a common weaver family. Modi and Yogi Ji are the true benefactors of Muslims."

"Whatever responsibility the party gives me, I will discharge it with full devotion. Whatever department I get, I will work with full sincerity to make that department better and useful," he added. He is the sole Muslim face in the new Yogi Adityanath government while Mohsin Raza has been dropped. 

52 Ministers take oath

On March 25, Yogi Adityanath took oath as the CM for the second consecutive time at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow. Moreover, 52 Ministers including 2 Deputy CMs, 16 Cabinet Ministers, 14 Ministers with Independent Charge and 20 Ministers of State were administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor Anandiben Patel. 

While Keshav Prasad Maurya was retained as the Deputy CM despite losing to Apna Dal (K)'s Pallavi Patel in Sirathu, Brajesh Pathak replaced Dinesh Sharma as the other Deputy CM. 

Some of the new faces in the Council of Ministers are former bureaucrat Arvind Kumar Sharma, ex-Kanpur Police Commissioner Asim Arun, UP BJP president Swatantra Dev Singh and BJP national vice president Baby Rani Maurya.

The allies also found representation with Union Minister Anupriya Patel's husband Ashish Patel and NISHAD party chief Sanjay Nishad getting a Cabinet berth. Moreover, Ministers in the earlier Cabinet like Jitin Prasada, Anil Rajbhar, Surya Pratap Shahi, Suresh Khanna and Laxmi Narayan Chaudhary were retained.

Former Deputy Speaker Nitin Agrawal who switched over from SP to BJP before the polls, took oath as Minister of State (Independent Charge). Overall, there are 5 women in Uttar Pradesh's Council of Ministers - Baby Rani Maurya, Gulab Devi, Pratibha Shukla, Rajani Tiwari and Vijay Laxmi Gautam. All newly-elected MLAs shall take oath in the state Assembly today.