J&K Dy-CM calls Kathua rape a 'small incident'

Kavinder, an old BJP and RSS hand representing Gandhi Nagar assembly constituency will be the new Deputy Chief Minister in the BJP-PDP coalition government in the state. He replaces Dr Nirmal Singh who announced his resignation on Sunday. Singh has now been made the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly in place of the former.

Within an hour of a cabinet shuffle in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday, new Deputy Chief Minister Kavinder Gupta debuted with a shocker on the Kathua eight-year-old's rape and murder that has shaken the country.

"Rasana is a chhoti si baat (minor issue)... We have to think this should never happen again and the child gets justice. There are many challenges like this facing the government. We should not give Rasana so much bhaav (importance)," Gupta told reporters.

The reshuffle is the result of BJP ministers Lal Singh and Chander Prakash Ganga resigning from the cabinet earlier this month after they were criticised for taking part in a rally in support of those accused in the rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in Kathua. The new BJP faces sworn in as ministers were the party's state unit chief Satpal Sharma and the MLAs from Kathua and adjoining Sambha, Rajiv Jasrotia and Devinder Kumar Manyal, respectively.

The BJP also upgraded Sunil Sharma, at present minister of state for transport, to the rank of a cabinet minister. BJP legislator Shakti Raj took oath as a minister of state.

The PDP members included in the cabinet were Mohd Khalil Band, MLA from Pulwama, and Mohd Ashraf Mir, MLA from Sonwar.

The BJP has dropped Nirmal Singh, Health Minister Bali Bhagat and Minister of State (MoS) for Tourism Priya Sethi.

BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav and MoS in the PMO Jitendra Singh attended the event. The governor administered the oath of office and secrecy at the convention centre instead of the Raj Bhavan as the state government has already shifted its base to summer capital Srinagar.