New Delhi
A series of high-level meetings at the Prime Minister’s residence in recent days indicate that a union cabinet expansion or revamp may take place within this month. The PM has held a series of meetings at the ministerial and organisational levels, involving top names like home minister Amit Shah, UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath and BJP president JP Nadda. Two years have passed since the National Democratic Alliance was voted back to power at the Centre in 2019 and New Delhi is abuzz with talk of a cabinet reshuffle.
PM Modi is also assessing the performance of his ministers. He has started meeting members of his cabinet in small groups. The practice started at the beginning of this week with a group of five ministers. All of them presented their report cards with a special focus on the future roadmap of their respective ministries.
What allies want:
BJP’s alliance partner from Bihar, Janata Dal (United), wants its two MPs to be inducted as union ministers. But the ruling BJP has made it clear that it will be a cabinet post and another for a minister of state.
The Modi government also wanted to include Andhra Pradesh’s ruling YSR Congress in the cabinet but it had indicated its disinclination so far.
The Andhra party has bailed the BJP out many times in Parliament with its numbers. Chief minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy meeting Shah and others this week indicates that attempts may be on to give a fresh touch to the NDA cabinet.
