Kiren Rijiju's appointment as Parliamentary Affairs Minister 'inspires no confidence': Congress

The Congress criticised the appointment of Kiren Rijiju as the Parliamentary Affairs Minister. The party General Secretary Jairam Ramesh expressed his dissatisfaction on X (formerly Twitter), stating that Rijiju's appointment "inspires no confidence whatsoever that the Prime Minister wants Parliament to function any differently than it has over the past decade." 

Ramesh emphasised that despite the perceived intentions, the INDIA coalition remains determined to represent the will and mandate of the people effectively in both houses of Parliament.

Kiren Rijiju was appointed as the new Parliamentary Affairs Minister, taking charge on June 10 (Tuesday). Rijiju, who also holds the portfolio of Minority Affairs, previously served as the Cabinet Minister for the Ministry of Earth Sciences and the Ministry of Food Processing. The Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs was earlier managed by Pralhad Joshi.

Upon his appointment, Rijiju expressed his gratitude towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the responsibility. He pledged to ensure the smooth functioning of the Parliament by fostering cooperation among all political parties. 

"We are committed to the job and will reach out to everyone. I urge all political parties and members of both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha for their cooperation," Rijiju said.