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Home  » News » All The Muslim Union Ministers

All The Muslim Union Ministers

By HEMANTKUMAR SHIVSHARAN
July 19, 2022 12:24 IST
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It is for the first time in the history of Independent India that not a single Muslim is part of the Union Cabinet.

After Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi resigned as the Union minister of minority affairs following the end of his Rajya Sabha tenure, it is for the first time in the history of Independent India that not a single Muslim is part of the Union Cabinet.

One may argue that in a secular nation these things should not matter, considering the fact that Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi has always insisted that his government talks of 'Sab Ka Saath, Sab Ka Vikas' and has never left Muslims out of his governance model.

But in a pluralistic society like India, which comprises 14.23 per cent of Muslims, their population numbering 172.2 million, it is surprising that the Bharatiya Janata Party could not find a single Muslim for inclusion in the Modi cabinet.

Hemantkumar Shivsharan/Rediff.com lists all the Muslims who have been a part of successive central governments since 1947.

IMAGE: Former Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi celebrates Eid-al-Adha in New Delhi. Photograph: ANI Photo
 

 
NamePortfoliosMinistryTook officeLeft officeParty
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Minister of Education Jawaharlal Nehru (I) 15 August 1947 Second Nehru ministry INC
  Minister of Education, Natural Resources and Scientific Research Jawaharlal Nehru (II) 15 April 1952 Third Nehru ministry INC
  Minister of Education Jawaharlal Nehru (III) 15 August 1947 22 February 1958 INC
           
Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Minister of Communications Jawaharlal Nehru (I) 15 August 1947 15 April 1952 INC
  Minister of Food and Agriculture Jawaharlal Nehru (I) 15 August 1947 1954 INC
           
Syed Mahmud Minister of State (External Affairs) Jawaharlal Nehru (II) 7 December 1954 Third Nehru ministry INC
           
Hafiz Mohammad Ibrahim Minister of Irrigation and Power Jawaharlal Nehru (III) 13 March 1958 Fourth Nehru ministry INC
  Minister of Irrigation and Power Jawaharlal Nehru (IV) Third Nehru ministry 27 May 1964 INC
           
Humayun Kabir Minister of State (Transport and Communications) Jawaharlal Nehru (III) 17 April 1957 13 March 1958 INC
  Minister of Scientific Research and Culture Jawaharlal Nehru (III) 13 March 1958 Fourth Nehru ministry INC
  Minister of Education Jawaharlal Nehru (IV) 1 September 1963 21 November 1963 INC
  Minister of Scientific Research and Cultural Affairs Jawaharlal Nehru (IV) 10 April 1962 21 November 1963 (ministry abolished)
  Minister of Petroleum and Chemicals Jawaharlal Nehru (IV) 21 November 1963 27 May 1964 INC
  Minister of Petroleum and Chemicals Gulzari Lal Nanda (I) 27 May 1964 9 June 1964 INC
  Minister of Petroleum and Chemicals Lal Bahadur Shastri 9 June 1964 11 January 1966 INC
  Minister of Petroleum and Chemicals Gulzari Lal Nanda (II) 11 January 1966 24 January 1966 INC
           
Mohammadali Carim Chagla Minister of Education Jawaharlal Nehru (III) 21 November 1963 13 November 1966 MNP
  Minister of Education Gulzarilal Nanda (Acting) 21 November 1963 13 November 1966 MNP
  Minister of Education Lal Bahadur Shastri 21 November 1963 13 November 1966 MNP
  Minister of Education Indira Gandhi (I) 21 November 1963 13 November 1966 MNP
  Minister of External Affairs Indira Gandhi (I) 14 November 1966 5 September 1967 MNP
           
Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed Minister of Irrigation and Power Indira Gandhi (I) 29 January 1966 14 November 1966 INC
  Minister of Education (and Youth Services from 14 February 1969) Indira Gandhi (I) 14 November 1966 13 March 1967 INC
  Minister of Industrial Development and Company Affairs Indira Gandhi (I) 13 March 1967 27 June 1970 INC
  Minister of Agriculture (and Food from 1967) Indira Gandhi (I) 27 June 1970 15 March 1971 INC
  Minister of Food and Agriculture Indira Gandhi (II) 18 March 1971 1974 INC
           
Shah Nawaz Khan Minister of State (Steel and Mines) Indira Gandhi (II) 2 May 1971 5 February 1973 INC
  Minister of Supply Indira Gandhi (II) 5 February 1973 1974  
           
Nurul Hasan Minister of State (Education and Social Welfare) Indira Gandhi (II) 4 October 1971 1974 INC
           
Arif Beg Minister of State (Ministry of Commerce, Civil Supplies and Cooperation) Morarji Desai 14 August 1977 28 July 1979 BJP
           
Sikandar Bakht Minister of Works and Housing and Supply and Rehabilitation Morarji Desai 24 March 1977  28 July 1979 BJP
  Minister of External Affairs
Minister of Urban Affairs and Employment
Atal Bihari Vajpayee (I) 16 May 1996 1 June 1996 BJP
  Minister of Industry Atal Bihari Vajpayee (II) 19 March 1998 13 October 1999 BJP
           
Fazlur Rehman Minister of Labour Charan Singh 28 July 1979 14 January 1980 INC
           
Mohammad Shafi Qureshi Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation Charan Singh 28 July 1979 14 January 1980 JP(S)
           
Zulfiquarulla Minister of Communications and Muslim Waqfs Charan Singh 28 July 1979 14 January 1980 JP(S)
           
C K Jaffer Sharief Minister of Railways Indira Gandhi (III) 14 Jan 1980 31 October 1984 INC
  Minister of Railways P. V. Narasimha Rao 21 June 1991 17 October 1995 INC
           
A B A Ghani Khan Choudhury Minister of Railways Indira Gandhi (III) 2 September 1982 Rajiv Gandhi Ministry INC
  Minister of Programme Implementation Rajiv Gandhi 25 September 1985 4 May 1987 INC
           
Ziaur Rehman Ansari Minister of State in the Ministry of Shipping and Transport Indira Gandhi (III) 29 January 1983 31 December 1984 INC
  Minister of Environment and Forest Rajiv Gandhi 25 June 1988 1 December 1989 INC
           
Arif Mohammad Khan Minister of State in the Ministries of Agriculture Indira Gandhi (III) 29 January 1983 7 February 1984 INC
  Minister of State in the Ministries of Energy Indira Gandhi (III) 7 February 1984 31 December 1984 INC
  Minister of Civil Aviation & Minister of Energy Vishwanath Pratap Singh 2 December 1989 10 November 1990 JD
           
Khurshed Alam Khan Minister of State (Independent Charge) Ministry of Tourism & Civil Aviation Indira Gandhi (III) 14 February 1983 31 December 1984 INC
  Ministry of Tourism, Civil aviation and Commerce Rajiv Gandhi 1984 November 1986 INC
           
Mohsina Kidwai Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Indira Gandhi (III) 29 January 1983 2 August 1984 INC
  Minister of Health and Family Welfare Rajiv Gandhi 31 December 1984 24 June 1986 INC
  Minister of Railways Rajiv Gandhi 24 June 1986 21 October 1986 INC
  Minister of Transport Rajiv Gandhi 24 June 1986 22 October 1986 INC
  Minister of Urban Development Rajiv Gandhi 22 October 1986 1 December 1989 INC
  Minister of Tourism Rajiv Gandhi 14 February 1988 25 June 1988 INC
           
Mohammad Usman Arif Deputy Minister in the Ministry of Works and Housing Indira Gandhi (III) 8 June 1980 15 January 1982 INC
           
Mufti Mohammad Sayeed Minister of Tourism Rajiv Gandhi 12 May 1986 14 July 1987 INC
  Minister of Home Affairs Vishwanath Pratap Singh 2 December 1989 Chandra Shekhar Ministry JD
           
Abdul Gafoor Minister of Works and housing Rajiv Gandhi 31 December 1984 25 September 1985 INC
  Minister of Urban Development Rajiv Gandhi 25 September 1985 22 October 1986 INC
           
Shakeelur Rahman Minister of Health and Family Welfare Chandra Shekhar 21 November 1990 20 February 1991 SJR
           
Sarwar Hussain Minister of State in the Ministry of Food and Civil Supplies Chandra Shekhar 21 November 1990 20 February 1991 JD
           
Ghulam Nabi Azad Minister of Parliamentary Affairs P. V. Narasimha Rao 21 June 1991 18 January 1993 INC
  Minister of Civil Aviation & Minister of Tourism P. V. Narasimha Rao 9 January 1993 16 May 1996 INC
  Minister of Urban Development Manmohan Singh (I) 22 May 2004 1 November 2005 INC
  Minister of Health and Family Welfare Manmohan Singh (II) 22 May 2009 26 May 2014 INC
           
A R Antulay Minister of Civil Supplies, Consumer Affairs, and Public Distribution P. V. Narasimha Rao 18 January 1993 8 February 1995 INC
  Minister of Water Resources P. V. Narasimha Rao 7 February 1995 16 May 1996 INC
           
Salman Khurshid Ministry of External Affairs P. V. Narasimha Rao 18 January 1993 16 May 1996 INC
  Minister of Law and Justice Manmohan Singh (II) 12 July 2011 28 October 2012 INC
  Minister of External Affairs Manmohan Singh (II) 28 October 2012 26 May 2014 INC
           
C M Ibrahim Minister of Information & Broadcasting H. D. Deve Gowda 1 June 1996 21 April 1997 JD
  Minister of Civil Aviation H. D. Deve Gowda 1 June 1996 21 April 1997 JD
  Minister of Civil Aviation Inder Kumar Gujral 21 April 1997 19 March 1998 JD
           
Saifuddin Soz Minister of Environment and Forests H. D. Deve Gowda 21 February 1997 21 April 1997 JKNC
  Minister of Forests and Environment Inder Kumar Gujral 21 April 1997 19 March 1998 JKNC
  Minister of Water Resources Manmohan Singh (I) 29 January 2006 22 May 2009 INC
           
Mohammed Maqbool Dar Ministry of Home Affairs  H. D. Deve Gowda 10 July 1996 19 March 1998 JD
           
Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting  Atal Bihari Vajpayee (II) 19 March 1998  12 October 1999  JP(S)
           
Syed Shahnawaz Hussain Minister of state in the Ministry of Agriculture Atal Bihari Vajpayee (III) 13 October 1999 27 May 2000 BJP
  Minister of Coal Atal Bihari Vajpayee (III) 8 February 2001 1 September 2001 BJP
  Minister of Civil Aviation Atal Bihari Vajpayee (III) 1 September 2001 24 May 2003 BJP
  Minister of Textiles Atal Bihari Vajpayee (III) 24 May 2003 22 May 2004 BJP
           
Omar Abdullah Minister of state in the Ministry of Commerce & Industry Atal Bihari Vajpayee (III) 13 October 1999 22 July 2001 JKNC
  Minister of state in the Ministry of External Affairs Atal Bihari Vajpayee (III) 22 July 2001 23 December 2002 JKNC
           
E Ahamed Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs  Manmohan Singh (I) 23 May 2004 22 May 2009 AIUML
  Ministry of External Affairs  Manmohan Singh (II) 19 January 2011 26 May 2014 AIUML
           
Shakeel Ahmad Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs.  Manmohan Singh (I) 6 April 2008 22 May 2009 INC
           
Md Ali Ashraf Fatmi Minister of State in the Ministry of Human Resource Development.  Manmohan Singh (I) 23 May 2004 22 May 2009 RJD
           
Tariq Anwar Ministry of Agriculture  Manmohan Singh (II) 28 October 2012 26 May 2014 NCP
           
Farooq Abdullah Minister of New and Renewable Energy Manmohan Singh (II) 28 May 2009 26 May 2014 NC
           
Sultan Ahmed Ministry of Tourism Manmohan Singh (II) 28 May 2009 22 September 2012  AITC
           
Najma A Heptulla Minister of Minority Affairs Narendra Modi (I) 26 May 2014 12 July 2016 BJP
           
Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi Minister of Minority Affairs Narendra Modi (I) 12 July 2016 Second Narendra Modi Ministry BJP
  Minister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs   9 November 2014 3 September 2017  
  Minister of Minority Affairs Narendra Modi (II) 30 May 2019 06 July 2022 BJP
           
M J Akbar Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs Narendra Modi (I) 5 July 2016 17 October 2018 BJP

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HEMANTKUMAR SHIVSHARAN