Cabinet reshuffle buzz grows as Modi government weighs key changes
Speculation over a Union Cabinet reshuffle has intensified, with sources indicating it could take place before the Monsoon Session of Parliament. The exercise is expected to coincide with the announcement of the BJP's new organisational team under president Nitin Nabin
New Delhi: A reshuffle in the Council of Ministers of the Modi government seems imminent, with indications from the top echelons of the ruling dispensation that the exercise may be carried out anytime from now, possibly before the Monsoon Session of Parliament begins.
Sources aware of the deliberations said the reshuffle in the Union Council of Ministers will be carried out in tandem with the announcement of a new BJP team under its president Nitin Nabin.
“Team Nitin Nabin” is likely to be announced soon, as the BJP top brass is believed to have finalised the list, with younger faces expected to be given prominent organisational roles.
The sources indicated that the BJP president also held consultations with a few Union ministers of state last week.
There are strong possibilities of some Union ministers being sent to take up organisational roles in the BJP and party office-bearers being inducted into the Modi ministry.
Speculation is also rife about portfolio changes for some ministers, while the future of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan is under a cloud, given a spate of controversies relating to matters under his ministry, especially the NEET paper leak and irregularities in the CBSE digital marking system.
The sources suggested that the reshuffle, if it happens, may take place sometime in July, ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, which normally begins in the third week of the month.
The date for the ministerial shake-up is expected to be fixed, taking into account the prime minister’s packed schedule.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a three-day tour of Seychelles from June 27 to 29, and he is also likely to travel to Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand between July 6 and 11. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is also scheduled to visit New Delhi from July 1 to 3.
The sources indicated a growing view among the government’s top brass that key ministries need fresh blood.
Additionally, there are political compulsions to balance the Cabinet based on regional, state, caste and loyalty factors.
Two Union ministers — Pankaj Chaudhary and Harsh Malhotra — have already been given the responsibility of heading the party units in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi, respectively.
It is highly likely that the BJP will follow its ‘one man, one post’ rule, which would lead to their exit from the government.
Two other Union ministers — George Kurian and Ravneet Singh Bittu — were not renominated by the BJP for the recently concluded Rajya Sabha elections. Their terms in the Upper House ended on June 21.
While Kurian has already resigned from his post, Bittu continues to be a minister. It is learnt that he has been asked by the top brass to focus on the upcoming Punjab Assembly elections.
Bittu, a former Congress leader and grandson of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh, is a prominent face of the influential Jat Sikh community.
More representatives from Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab are likely to find a place in the Modi ministry, as Assembly elections are due in these three states next year.
Following the BJP’s landslide victory in West Bengal, some of its MPs from the state could be inducted into the Union Ministry.
There is a possibility that a few representatives of the rebel Trinamool Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) groups will secure ministerial berths.
While the 20 rebel TMC MPs announced their merger with the West Bengal-based Nationalist Citizens Party of India and declared their allegiance to the ruling NDA, the six dissident Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs have joined the Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
It is also suggested that a senior functionary of the Shinde-led Shiv Sena may be inducted as a Cabinet minister.
One or two faces among the seven Rajya Sabha MPs who deserted the Aam Aadmi Party to join the BJP could find a place in the Council of Ministers, the sources said.
However, any decision to induct members from the breakaway TMC and Shiv Sena (UBT) factions will depend on the Lok Sabha Speaker’s ruling, given that their respective parent parties have sought their disqualification under the Anti-Defection Law.
The reshuffle buzz intensified after Prime Minister Modi met President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan on June 23 on the sidelines of a Padma Awards function.
The speculation was further fuelled two days later, on June 25, when Union Home Minister Amit Shah also called on the President.
Officials described the meetings as courtesy calls, insisting that the two leaders routinely meet the President at regular intervals.
However, it is highly probable that the reshuffle issue came up during the prime minister’s meeting with the President.
The Rajya Sabha terms of two Union ministers — Hardeep Puri and BL Verma — will end in November, and it remains to be seen what decision the top brass takes regarding their renomination to the Upper House.
Three governors — Thawar Chand Gehlot (Karnataka), Mangubhai Patel (Madhya Pradesh) and Lt General Gurmit Singh (Uttarakhand) — are set to complete their terms in the coming months: Gehlot and Patel in July, and Singh in September.
There is a possibility that some ministers exiting the government could be given gubernatorial assignments.
However, informed circles note that Prime Minister Modi always keeps major decisions under wraps until the last minute, and a clear picture will emerge only when a formal announcement is made.