Accent on performance in Cabinet reshuffle

Accent on performance in Cabinet reshuffle

FPJ BureauUpdated: Thursday, May 30, 2019, 03:49 AM IST
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New Delhi: President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi poses with new members of cabinet after the reshuffle at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Sunday. PTI Photo (PTI9_3_2017_000041B) |

The Cabinet reshuffle undertaken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday has rewarded merit, punished some laggards and elevated a few performing ministers of state to cabinet status.  What has, however, come as a surprise is the non-inclusion of representatives from among the allies. Evidently, this may not be the final rejig before the Lok Sabha elections in 2019. The surmise is that since there were last-minute demands from some of the allies of the BJP, the issue of how many berths would go to which ally would be worked out subsequently. The typical muscle-flexing by the Shiv Sena which boycotted the swearing-in ceremony has cast doubts over the longevity of the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance both at the Centre and in Maharashtra. Whether the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) will step into a possible void remains to be seen. Likewise, the AIADMK is going through a churning process and the Prime Minister would apparently like to see what happens with that party over the next few weeks with the Sasikala-Dhinakaran faction pitching for a new dispensation from within the AIADMK. The Janata Dal (U) which had joined the NDA recently, has not been given any ministerial berths but it would be odd and wrong if this is not done over the next few weeks. Failure to do so would discourage other fence-sitter parties from joining the NDA.

The Prime Minister’s penchant for springing surprising is nowhere more evident than in the selection of Nirmala Sitaraman as Defence Minister. Ms Sitaraman has been a star performer as minister of state for Commerce and Industry and this is an undoubted reward for excellence. By dint of this change, Nirmala Sitaraman would now be a member of the high-profile Cabinet committee on Security. With Smriti Irani promoted to Cabinet rank in charge of Information and Broadcasting, and Sushma Swaraj retained as Minister for External Affairs, there is cause for deep satisfaction among women. Predictably, this would help the BJP garner women’s votes in the next general elections. Another high profile appointment is of Piyush Goyal as Minister of Railways in place of Suresh Prabhu who had expressed a desire to shed that important portfolio taking moral responsibility for a spate of rail accidents in the last one month. Goyal has had an unblemished record as minister of state for Coal and Power and his promotion is well deserved.

Another minister rewarded for good work is Dharmendra Pradhan who has been promoted and given charge of Skill Development in addition to his earlier responsibilities. Prime Minister Modi had been unhappy with Rajiv Pratap Rudy’s stewardship of Skill Development which is one of Modi’s pet projects. The Muslims have got their first cabinet minister in the Modi council of ministers with Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi being moved up. Though his portfolio continues to be Minority Affairs, the fact that he has been promoted should be a morale booster for the community in a scenario in which there is a trust deficit between them and the Modi dispensation. The Christians have also got a representation through K.J. Alphons who gives the BJP a toehold in Kerala where it is striving for bigger presence than the solitary seat it won for the first time in the last Lok Sabha elections.

Another significant appointment is of Hardeep Puri who takes charge of minister of state for Urban Development.  Puri had built up a fine reputation as a senior diplomat. In fact, the Prime Minister has inducted four former bureaucrats of which Puri is one while the others are former Union Home Secretary R.K. Singh, former Mumbai police commissioner Satyapal Singh and a former Delhi Development Authority Commissioner K.J. Alphonse who quit IAS to join politics and made a huge impact during his tenure. Clearly, Modi has shown a willingness to induct former bureaucrats who were known for their efficiency and integrity. In fact, strong leadership and personal integrity are the hallmark of all the new inductees. This should stand the Modi government in good stead in public perception.

Expectedly, poll-bound states, among them Karnataka, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh , have been taken care of in the Cabinet reshuffle. Caste dynamics has also not been ignored. Overall, the accent this time is on a mix of middle age and experience. This is indeed a council of ministers which will be good for another BJP term in office after 2019 with a few changes based on future performance. But there can be little doubt that it would be great folly for Modi not to cater to the allies and prospective allies in the NDA. The AIADMK has a whopping 50 members of Parliament in the two Houses put together. The Janata Dal (United) also is a force to reckon with regionally. Nitish Kumar left the UPA for greener pastures and denying berths to his party would be bad politics. Before the rumblings assume concrete shape and some allies start new flirtations with the UPA, the BJP must accommodate the allies.

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