Meenakshi Lekhi Gets Ministry Of State For External Affairs

Meenakshi Lekhi who has been a popular face representing Bharatiya Janta Party was made the head of the Ministry of State of External Affairs.

The 54-year-old member of parliament took oath as Union Minister of State on Wednesday. She is among the seven women ministers who joined BJP's new cabinet as part of the reshuffling process. Lekhi is currently serving her second term as the MP from the New Delhi constituency.

The minister is a law graduate from Delhi University and has served as a lawyer to push for the permanent commission for women officers in the armed forces. When Rahul Gandhi made a jibe at the Prime Minister of India by making his "Chowkidar Chor Hai" remark, Lekhi filed a contempt petition against him. Gandhi had then given his apology in the matter.

In 2010, Meenakshi Lekhi was appointed as the Vice-President for BJP's Mahila Morcha. She then became the national spokesperson of BJP. She has been on many television news channels defending her party's policies and decisions.

Lekhi was also part of the drafting committee for the Women Reservation Bill and the Sexual Harassment of Women in Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Bill. In addition to this, she served on parliamentary panels such as the Committee of Privileges, General Purposes Committee and Standing Committee on External Affairs. She was the chairperson of the Committee on Public Undertakings and that of the Personal Data Protection Bill of 2019.

Apart from her, other women ministers included in the new cabinet of the central government are Anupriya Singh Patel, Shobha Karandjale, Pratima Bhoumik, Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar, Annapurna Devi and Darshana Vikram Jardosh. Read more here.