The Aam Aadmi Party's Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj were on Thursday sworn-in as ministers of the Delhi government.
Lt Governor V.K. Saxena administered the oath to ministers in the presence of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at a swearing-in ceremony held at Raj Niwas. President Droupadi Murmu had accepted their appointments on Tuesday.
The new ministers have been inducted after Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Health Minister Satyendar Jain resigned last week. Atishi has been allotted the portfolios of Education, PWD, Power and Tourism, while Bharadwaj has been assigned the responsibility of Health, Water and Industries and Urban Development.
Congratulating both the new ministers, Kejriwal said: "I have full hope that the way Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain were doing good work for Delhi, following their footsteps, these two new ministers will do good work".
Bhardwaj, after being sworn-in, said: "Under the circumstances in which the Centre conspired and put our two big leaders and ideal elder brothers - Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain in jail, today we have to manage their work. Just like after Lord Rama went on exile for 14 years, his younger brother Bharat took care of his responsibility, we both will take care of in the same way. When Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain come back, they will take back their responsibilities."
Atishi said: "Being the younger sister of Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain, I will take care of their work. We will not let the work of the people of stop. Education and health are the two most important projects for Arvind Kejriwal. We have got a big responsibility and that too in a difficult time."
She added further that till Sisodia and Jain come back, it is her responsibility to handle this front. "We hope that both of them will be released from jail soon," she said.
(With inputs from IANS)
