India
Nirmala Sitharaman is the first woman after Indira Gandhi to hold the position
Updated : Sep 03, 2017, 05:17 PM IST
Senior BJP leader Nirmala Sitharaman, who was appointed union defence minister in Sunday's cabinet reshuffle said that her new role was a lot of responsibility.
"To me, very overwhelming day, just can't express my feelings," she said while speaking to ANI.
She also said that the decision made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah has ensured that there are two women in the Cabinet Committee on Security (CSS). "It'll be Sushmaji (Swaraj) and myself," she added.
Sitharaman will take charge on September 6 and said that the road ahead will be challenging. "Have to prove and perform to satisfy the goals which are expected of me. In all probability," she added.
Sitharaman became the first woman Defence Minister of the country since Indira Gandhi held the charge.
Sitharaman, who was holding the Commerce portfolio as a Minister of State, was elevated along with Goyal, Dharmendra Pradhan and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi to the cabinet rank.