Outspoken Giriraj Singh to Take Charge as Minister of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries

New Delhi: Giriraj Singh, the former minister of state for micro, has now been given as Ministry of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet.

A former MP from Nawada, Singh has formerly served as minister of Cooperative, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Resource Development in the government of Bihar.Performance in 2019 Lok Sabha elections

Singh contested from Begusarai, a seat from where he claimed he was not comfortable since his stronghold was Nawada. After much back and forth with the party, Singh fought from Begusarai against Left candidate Kanhaiya Kumar. Singh had camped in Delhi for days, protesting the move and refusing to start his campaign. He eventually defeated Kumar by a record of four lakh votes.

Singh's campaign, though, attracted flak from the Election Commission, prompting a notice.

"I want to say that those who don't say Vande Mataram can't worship the motherland - Giriraj's father and grandfather died on the Simaria ghat by the banks of the Ganga and did not need a grave. You on the other hand, need three-arm's-length of land. If you don't do it, the country will never forgive you," he had said, his remarks targeting the minority community.Political past

Singh had served as the co-operative minister in Bihar from 2005 to 2010 and as animal husbandry minister from 2010 to 2013. One of the most vocal Modi supporters, Singh was one of the 11 ministers dismissed by Nitish Kumar after the JDU-BJP alliance broke off.