the goan I network
PANAJI
Lone BJP Lok Sabha MP from Goa Shripad Naik on Thursday took oath as a Minister of State (Independent charge) in the Cabinet led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday. Naik who was Union AYUSH Minister in the previous Modi-led government took oath again in Delhi after his victory in North Goa constituency.
Naik has been elected for the fifth time in a row from this assembly constituency on a BJP ticket. “I am thankful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Party President Amit Shah for re-appointing me for induction in the Cabinet considering my past performance as Union minister,” Naik has said in a statement released here.
“My reappointment in the Cabinet is the honour for the State of Goa,” he added.
Almost whole of Goa Cabinet along with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, Health Minister Vishwajit Rane, Revenue Minister Rohan Khaunte and Art and Culture Minister Govind Gawade were in Delhi to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Narendra Modi-led Cabinet.
Rohan Khaunte tweeted, “Looking forward to working in collaboration with the Centre to take Goa’s vision ahead successfully.”
Shripad Naik was among the first BJP legislators in the state representing Marcaim constituency when the party won four seats in the assembly elections of 1994. He lost in the next assembly elections and was pushed into national politics.
In 1999, he was elected to the 13th Lok Sabha from North Goa constituency. In 2002 he resigned as union minister of state in the Vajpayee-led NDA government and contested a closely fought election against Ravi Naik for the Ponda seat.
After his defeat, Shripad was given another portfolio in the NDA cabinet. While many political leaders who started their journey along with Shripad Naik chose to be in Goan local politics got politically side-lined due to change in constituencies’ framework and also change in political clout within the party in the state. But bhau’s (Shripad Naik) position remained unchanged.
He preferred himself to keep a distance from local politics though participated actively in campaigning during Goa assembly election.
He held his seat in this constituency winning in 2004, 2009 and 2014 elections. In 2014 Lok Sabha Election he won with a margin of 10,5000 votes which is very high for a small state of Goa. Prime Minister Narendra Modi appointed Naik as Minister for Culture and Tourism (Independent Charge) which was changed to Minister of State Ministry of AYUSH Government of India.
Shripad Naik has initiated some projects including an Ayurveda hospital and research centre at Dhargalim which work has just started.
