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
| Name | Portfolios | Ministry | Took office | Left office | Party |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
