The resignation of Minorities Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has left India’s ruling party Bharatiya Janata Party with no Muslim parliamentarian for the first time in its history.
Naqvi resigned on Wednesday, a day before his term as a member of parliament was scheduled to end.
Naqvi was the only Muslim minister in Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which boasts of 395 MPs. The term of two Muslim MPs of the Hindu nationalist party, former Union minister M J Akbar and Syed Zafar Islam has already ended.
Naqvi has been replaced by Smriti Irani, 46.
The Opposition parties have been accusing the BJP of not giving adequate representation to Muslims.
The BJP does not have a single member of the legislative assembly (MLA) in 18 of 28 states in India the saffron party currently governs, either directly or through its coalition partners.
Meanwhile, there are reports that the BJP could be considering Naqvi for the post of India’s Vice-President. The Vice-Presidential polls are scheduled on 6 August while the term of the current incumbent, M Venkaiah Naidu, ends on 10 August.
