News Analysis India

Tag: Cabinet reshuffle

  • ‘Modi is not King of India’: BJP’s Subramanian Swamy says he is against PM’s economic, foreign policies

    By Online Desk

    Senior BJP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy has said that he is against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s economic and foreign policies.

    Replying to a tweet by a user, who argued that he (Swamy) is perhaps bitter for not being handed over the ministry of his choice, Swamy said that he’s in fact “anti-Modi” for a different reason.

    “I am anti Modi policies for the economy & foreign policy and I am ready to debate with any responsible on it. Have you heard about participatory democracy? Modi is not King of India,” Swamy tweeted.

    I am anti Modi policies for the economy & foreign policy and I am ready to debate with any responsible on it. Have you heard about participatory democracy? Modi is not King of India
    — Subramanian Swamy (@Swamy39) August 14, 2021
    Swamy added that he is ready to “debate” about this with anyone who is competent and responsible.

    The leader also questioned the efficacy of India’s foreign policies which according to him are a “mess” due to EAM S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval’s decisions.

    “Will the bureaucrat duo Jaishankar and Doval ever apologise to the nation for the mess they have landed India in the international scene? They were given a free hand because Modi trusts politicians not peer level politicians. Now we in a mess with all our neighbours,” he had tweeted.

    Will the bureaucrat duo Jaishankar and Doval ever apologise to the nation for the mess they have landed India in the international scene? They were given a free hand because Modi trusts politicians not peer level politicians. Now we in a mess with all our neighbours.
    — Subramanian Swamy (@Swamy39) August 14, 2021
    Swamy, who has been vocal about his ministerial dreams in the past and has been a cabinet minister twice, was hopeful of a position this time around as well but was not assigned any ministry.

  • Ahead of Rajasthan Cabinet rejig, Ajay Maken meets MLAs individually 

    By PTI
    JAIPUR: Congress leader Ajay Maken Wednesday began a series of meetings with party MLAs and those supporting it for their feedback on the performance of the Ashok Gehlot government ahead of the state Cabinet reshuffle.

    As Maken began the two-day exercise in the assembly building here, Leader of Opposition Gulabchand Kataria said the Congress leadership holding one-on-one discussions with MLAs indicates the state government is not able to function well.

    The AICC general secretary (Rajasthan in-charge) will hold discussions with party MLAs and those supporting it over the reshuffle exercise, political appointments and the naming of district and block presidents of the party.

    Sources said the MLAs are meeting Maken individually under district-wise slots allotted to them.

    The brainstorming session began with the MLAs from Jaipur.

    “Discussions on various points including the achievements of the government and what else can be done to enhance its performance were held,” Adarsh Nagar MLA (Jaipur) Rafeek Khan told reporters after the meeting.

    He said the implementation of the CM Chiranjeevi Health Insurance scheme was also discussed.

    On the first day on Wednesday, MLAs from Jaipur, Jhunjhunu, Sikar, Alwar, Baran, Dausa, Karauli, Sawaimadhopur, Bharatpur, Bundi, Kota and Dholpur are scheduled to meet Maken, party sources said.

    The MLAs of the remaining district will meet him Thursday.

    Civil Lines MLA and Transport Minister Pratap Singh Khacharyiawas said the Congress is a democratic party and its high command hears all its members.

    “Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot had said to us that he is our guardian.

    Maken is also holding meetings as a guardian,” he said, adding thee is no internal dispute in the party and discussions were held on welfare schemes and their implementation.

    On the Cabinet reshuffle, he said it is the prerogative of the chief minister and the final decision has been left to the party high command.

    Chaksu MLA Vedprakash Solanki, a vocal Sachin Pilot loyalist, said he has apprised Maken of all the issues and is satisfied that the party high command is now listening to all legislators.

    “I gave my suggestions and whatever I had to say, I told him. I am satisfied that our viewpoint is now being communicated directly to the party high command. Now, the high command is not listing only us, but listening to all MLAs,” Solanki said.

    The Congress came to power in December 2018 and has completed half of the tenure.

    Leader of Opposition Kataria said if the “ruling party has this level of dispute that one-on-one meetings with MLAs are required, the government cannot function well”.

    “Such governments are not able to function well and cannot do well for the people,” he said.

    He also questioned the government’s decision to hold the dialogues with the MLAs in the assembly building.

    “In order to maintain the sanctity of the assembly, the Congress party should have organised this exercise somewhere else,” he said.

    In the house of 200, the Congress has 106 MLAs and most of the 13 independents support it.

    On Saturday night, Maken and AICC general secretary KC Venugopal had held a meeting with Chief Minister Gehlot over the Cabinet reshuffle.

    On Sunday, Maken had said there is no dispute on the Cabinet reshuffle in the state and the decision regarding this has been left to the party high command.

    The party’s central leadership will take the final call about the cabinet reshuffle, he had said, adding he will take feedback from the MLAs on all issues and will give a report to the party high command.

    The reshuffle may take place in the next few days.

    Apart from the Cabinet reshuffle, political appointments in various Boards and Corporations and appointments of district and block presidents of the party will also take place soon.

    Pilot and several other MLAs had mounted an open rebellion against Gehlot last June. After a month-long crisis, the Congress top brass had formed a committee to look into the issues raised by Pilot, who alleged that his camp was being sidelined by the Gehlot government.

    Earlier this week, Pilot told reporters that he was in touch with the Congress high command to resolve the issues raised by him and that the “AICC is taking steps for the betterment of the government and party organisation”.

  • Harsh Vardhan’s departure from cabinet marred with COVID-19 policy failure?

    Express News Service
    The departure of Dr Harshvardhan from the Ministry of Health last week earned him sympathies from the most unusual quarters the leaders belonging to Congress party. Former Union minister Jairam Ramesh in a tweet said the Lok Sabha member from Chandni Chowk had been made a scapegoat for “monumental failures at the highest level nowhere else”.

    The Congress leader also said the former health minister is a “good man”. The head of media cell of Congress party, Randeep Surjewala indirectly defended Vardhan saying the National Disaster Management Authority, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was responsible for the “criminal mismanagement” of Covid-19. These comments obviously were made to embarrass the Prime Minister and not in any genuine sympathy for a ‘good man’ as Ramesh would prefer calling Vardhan.

    These comments may or may not have embarrassed the Prime Minister but must have given a cause for introspection to the former health minister. Vardhan as health minister in Modi 2.0 government has been unduly harsh on the Opposition which was rightly trying to raise the issue of the pandemic. As early as February last year, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had tweeted, “The coronavirus is an extremely serious threat to our people and economy. My sense is the government is not taking this threat seriously.

    Timely action is critical”. To which Vardhan had responded with a comment laced with sarcasm rather than seriousness and sagacity. This year too, when the second wave of coronavirus was peaking, Vardhan did not take kindly to a letter by former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh to his successor suggesting a roadmap to fight the pandemic.

    Instead of Modi, it was Vardhan who replied and that too very caustically saying, “History shall be kinder to you Dr Manmohan Singh ji if your offer of ‘constructive cooperation’ and valuable advice was followed by your… leaders as well in such extraordinary times!” What followed in the subsequent days was a government plan to fight the pandemic which drew liberally from the note sent by the economist-statesman to the Prime Minister.

    The agitated and the rude demeanour of Vardhan during the past two years was for sure not in sync with his carefully cultivated image over the past three decades of an affable person. From earning epaulets of ‘Swasth Vardhan’ (one who makes you remain healthy) from former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to being dropped from Narendra Modi government for his failure as health minister has brought Vardhan for once face-to-face with political trough. His political journey so far has been of surfing on a political high-tide with minor setbacks here and there.

    For almost quarter of a century, Vardhan lived with the halo of being the man responsible for eradication of polio from the country. This would now get overshadowed by his ‘failure’ to efficiently handle the scourge of Covid. There could be merit in Jairam Ramesh’s claim of failures at the highest level but it cannot be ignored that Vardhan as the health minister was a crucial clog in the anti-Covid machinery of the central government. If at all he did not have his way in the manner the pandemic was being managed, as is being suggested by the Congress leaders, Vardhan could have flagged it as did his senior Cabinet colleague Nitin Gadkari.

    As health minister and a politician with a credible track record, Vardhan’s word would have carried weight. He, however, chose to be part of the plan which included despicable espousing of medicines from Ramdev’s stable, which were tom-tommed to be cure for the virus. Both the plan and the concoction failed to deliver, and now Vardhan is paying the price for it. There is a saying, you can’t have the cake and eat it too. Harsh Vardhan chose to be part of the plan, defending it stoutly and sometimes rudely in the public domain, so where is the scope for any sympathy on being unseated for the failure of the plan.

    SIDHARTH MISHRAAuthor and president, Centre for Reforms, Development & Justice

  • ‘Upset’ Pankaja Munde meets PM Modi, JP Nadda in Delhi

    Express News Service
    MUMBAI:  BJP leader Pankaja Munde met PM Narendra Modi and party chief JP Nadda on Sunday in Delhi amid reports that she was hurt by the non-inclusion of her sister in the NDA’s expanded Union Cabinet.

    Pankaja, the daughter of late BJP leader and OBC stalwart Gopinath Munde, was expecting a Cabinet berth for Pritam who is a MP from Beed district. This development comes at a time when the BJP is looking to make inroads into the OBC voters. “BJP does not want to give anything to the Munde family but don’t want her to leave too. After the report of dissatisfaction against the BJP leadership, this must be an attempt by Nadda and Modi to pacify her ahead of the local elections,” said a party insider.

    Though Pankaja has claimed she would abide by the party’s decision, several BJP leaders owing allegiance to her have resigned and others threatened mass resignations. According to her associate, there is a plan to curtail the importance of the two sisters in party.

    “Pankaja lost the state polls to her nephew because BJP leaders helped him. They do not want any major competitor against Devendra Fadnavis. She should have been rehabilitated by giving an MLC post. But it was ignored.”  The recent Cabinet expansion in which Pritam Munde was ignored shows that BJP no more wants the two sisters, the associate asserted.   

  • PM Modi to chair Council of Ministers meeting on July 14

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to chair a meeting with the Council of Ministers on Wednesday (July 14), said sources.

    This will be PM Modi’s second meeting with the Council of Ministers after the Union Cabinet reshuffle on July 7.

    A day after the expansion of the Union Cabinet, the Prime Minister had back-to-back meetings with the union cabinet and council of ministers on Thursday.

    In the meeting on Thursday, sources said that Prime Minister had cautioned Ministers against any complacency in the fight against COVID-19, saying that over the past few days there have been pictures and videos of crowded places and people roaming about without masks or social distancing and “it should instil a sense of fear in us”.

    The sources said the Prime Minister noted that people not following COVID-19 protocols was not a “pleasant sight”. 

  • Jyotiraditya Scindia takes charge as Civil Aviation Minister 

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Jyotiraditya Scindia on Friday took charge of the Civil Aviation Ministry.

    Scindia, a prominent leader from Madhya Pradesh, was sworn in as a cabinet minister on Wednesday.

    He joined BJP in March 2020 and is a Rajya Sabha member.

    General V K Singh also took charge as the Minister of State for Civil Aviation.

    Scindia has taken over the charge of the ministry at a time when the civil aviation sector is facing strong headwinds due to the coronavirus pandemic which has impacted overall demand and has also resulted in financial woes for the industry players.

    The government is also moving ahead with the disinvestment process for the national carrier Air India.

    Scindia has served as a Minister of State for Communications, Commerce and Industry and power during the Congress-led UPA government.

    The scion of the former royal family of Gwalior was inducted into the UPA government in 2007 and remained a part of the Union Cabinet till 2014.

    He resigned from Congress and joined BJP in March 2020.

    His move triggered a chain of events that finally culminated in the collapse of the Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh and paved the way for the saffron party to assume power which it lost towards the end of 2018.

    Born on January 1, 1971, and educated in Harvard and Stanford institutions, Scindia has traversed a long way after contesting his maiden election as a Congress candidate in 2002, a bypoll in the Guna Lok Sabha constituency, which was held because of the sudden death of his father, Madhavrao Scindia, in a plane crash.

  • Cabinet reshuffle: Increase visibility, BJP high command instructs new ministers 

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI:  In line with the reset mantra of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government at the Centre to work closely with the organisation, newly sworn-in ministers headed for a meeting with BJP chief JP Nadda, besides heading to the party’s headquarters, on Thursday. 

    Later in the evening the Prime Minister presided over a meeting of the Council of Ministers, where the task was clearly spelt out that the ministers should quickly settle in their jobs and stay visible in front of the public in general.

    The likes of Jyotiraditya Scindia, Sarbanada Sonowal, Bhupender Yadav, Annapurna Devi visited the BJP headquarters. The newly sworn-in ministers called on Nadda at his residence, where the national joint general secretary of BJP, V Satish was also present along with other senior party functionaries.

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    The message to the new ministers has been clear. They have to closely work with the organisation and act on the feedback provided by the party leaders, sources said, adding that it has also been conveyed to them that they need to be visible.

    The major recast of the Council of Ministers was preceded by hectic parleys by Nadda and senior ministers with the Prime Minister during which the party’s organisational secretary BL Santhosh had also been present. The BJP leadership had grimly noted that disconnect of some of the ministers in the government with the people and the party had been contributing to the formation of a negative image of the Central government, sources said.

    The meeting of the Council of Ministers held in the evening was more of an orientation for the newly inducted members in the government, where the Prime Minister is learnt to have asked them to work on execution of agenda listed out for their respective ministries.

  • With Narayan Rane inducted in Modi’s cabinet, BJP eyes Maratha vote bank

    Express News Service
    MUMBAI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision of inducting former chief minister Narayan Rane in his cabinet is a strong message that the BJP wants to shed its traditional Brahmin-Baniya party image in Maharashtra and plans to foster a strong Maratha leadership.

    The BJP’s chief ministerial pick in the last assembly and current leader in the House, Devendra Fadnavis, is a Brahmin. But after the party lost power, many OBC and other communities started drifting away from it. The negativity against the party has been rising under Fadnavis. Hence, the BJP decided to do expand its vote base beyond Brahmin and Baniya voters.

    During the time of Gopinath Munde, the BJP’s leadership was in the hands of OBC. After the rise of Fadnavis, it has been unable to test any major success despite using all resources. That’s another reason why the party has now decided to strengthen the hands of Rane, a Maratha. BJP sources said from now on, along with Fadnavis he will have a major say in party affairs.

    Maharashtra has more than 30% Maratha population. The state’s politics has been always dominated by Maratha leaders such as Yashwantrao Chavan and Sharad Pawar. “The BJP also has Maratha leaders like Ashish Shelar and Chandrakant Patil, but they have their limitations. By inducting Rane, the party aims to wean away Maratha votes in upcoming polls,” said a senior leader.

    Apart from Rane, the PM has inducted three new faces from the state: Kapil Patil, Bhagwat Karad and Bharati Pawar. Except for Karad, all three have switched to the BJP from other parties. Patil and Pawar were with the NCP earlier. 

    “This is a positive message for outsiders who are in the BJP: that positions are not only given to old and loyal members but also to new entrants provided they are hardworking, aggressively take on the opposition and expand the party base,” said a political observer. “During the last assembly polls, many Congress and NCP leaders joined BJP and got elected. But BJP could not form a government. These  MLAs are unhappy and may consider leaving the party. BJP hopes the message that those who bring benefits to the outfit will be appropriately rewarded will not be lost on such leaders.”

  • Nitish Kumar’s silence on RCP Singh’s Union Cabinet elevation surprises JD-U

    Express News Service
    PATNA:  More than 24 hours have passed since JD-U national president RCP Singh was inducted into the Central Cabinet, but the usual congratulatory message from party leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has not come.

    Kumar, who is active on Twitter, did not make any congratulatory comment. It has caught Patna’s political circle by surprise. “Boss (Nitish Kumar) is silent and that is beyond our comprehension. If something goes against his will, he turns silent and avoids discussions,” a senior JD-U leader said.

    Sources felt JD-U getting just one berth and others including his close confidante Rajiv Ranjan Singh missing out might have irked Kumar and that is why he is silent. In fact, RCP Singh had been authorised by the party to take a call on joining the Union Cabinet.

    However, JD-U getting just one minister despite having 16 MPs is causing unease. “What is the difference between LJP led by Pashupati Kumar Paras and our party led by Nitish Kumar? We should have got at least two Cabinet and one State Minister berths,” said a leader.

    “After becoming a Cabinet minister, RCP Singh has received a host of messages but not a single tweet from Nitish Kumar. It shows that he is not happy with the decision of accepting only one cabinet berth,” another JD-U leader said.

    Kumar expressed grief at the demise of former Himachal Pradesh CM Virbhadra Singh. But even as JD-U state president Umesh Kushwaha and other party leaders congratulated RCP Singh, the CM was quiet on this. “Question is bound to arise whether Kumar is not happy with RCP Singh becoming a minister? He is active on Twitter and other social media platforms than he was in the past. But what does this silence show?” was the common thought of JD-U leaders.

  • Union Cabinet reshuffle: Strategy evident in selection of four ministers from West Bengal

    Express News Service
    KOLKATA:  The Centre’s decision of axing two Ministers for State from West Bengal and drafting fresh four Bengal BJP MPs in the Union Cabinet appears to be well-designed, with an eye on balancing the caste and regional equations in the state.

    BJP did not do well in the recent Assembly polls. But around half of the 77 seats they won came from north Bengal and SC-dominated regions. The four new ministers represent various communities and ethnic groups. Two of them are from north Bengal. Cooch Behar MP Nisith Pramanik (Home Affairs and Sports) represents Rajbongshis, the largest faction of the state’s SC community. Alipurduar MP John Barla (Minority Affairs) is the tribal face of the tea garden region.

    Bongaon MP Shantanu Thakur (Port, Shipping, Waterways) belongs to the Matua community, which is a Hindu religious sect of SC refugees from Bangladesh. Bankura MP Subhas Sarkar (Education) was the other one chosen. He is known to have done well for BJP in the Jungle Mahal belt.

    ‘‘Rajbongshis form around 40% of the electorates in north Bengal and the community has a stake of nearly 20% in the Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar regions. Selection of two MPs from this region clearly indicates that the party doesn’t want to lose its Rajbongshi and tribal vote share achieved since the 2019 Lok Sabha elections,’’ said a BJP leader in Kolkata.

    North Bengal has proven to be the saffron camp’s stronghold in the last two elections. The region has 54 Assembly seats, of which BJP won 30. In the remaining 240, BJP secured victory only in 37.

    Barla recently raised a demand that north Bengal should become a separate Union Territory. Although the party did not officially endorse his view, naming him in the Cabinet suggests he remains an important figure in the scheme of things. “Separate statehood has been a long-standing demand of Gorkhas in the hills and Rajbongshis in the foothills. The inclusion of Barla in the Cabinet sends a message that the Centre is not ignoring local sentiments,” said the leader.

    Thakur had on several occasions expressed discontent over the issue of non-implementation of CAA, a promise BJP had made before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls to grant Matua refugees citizenship. “BJP performed well in Matua strongholds. Since implementation of CAA seems impossible now, Thakur was rewarded to ease out the discontent of Matuas, who will be needed in 2024 LS polls,’’ said another leader.