Will BJP President Amit Shah Enter the Cabinet as Home Minister?

The reshuffle-cum-expansion of the council of ministers of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government in the Centre appears to be imminent in the next few days. There are speculations that BJP President Amit Shah can enter the new cabinet as the Defence minister or the Home minister, replacing Rajnath Singh.

Since Manohar Parrikar resigned as the defence minister to become Goa chief minister, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had been holding the defence portfolio. The reshuffle talks gained further grounds, after Jaitley on Thursday hinted that he would not continue to hold the defence portfolio for too long because he has also been given the responsibility of being the party in-charge for the upcoming Gujarat elections.

The speculated reshuffle might be done on September 2, because this is the only date when President Ramnath Kovind, PM Modi and Shah are in the national capital. After Friday, the rejig appears to be impossible because of the fortnight-long ‘Pitri or Pitru Paksha’, which is considered inauspicious by Hindus, writes Firstpost.

President Kovind is out of the city on September 1. He will reach here on September 2 and then again he will leave for a two-day trip to Gujarat on September 3.

Shah will also be busy attending RSS’s conclave in Vrindavan.

They all could return to Delhi on September 2 afternoon. This date has become important further because Modi will be leaving to take part in BRICS Summit in China that is scheduled from September 3-5. The prime minister, from there, will fly to Myanmar and then return to Delhi on September 7. And by the time he will come back to Delhi, ‘Pitru Paksha’ would have begun.

Meanwhile, several BJP leaders have already tendered resignations. Some important names among those who have resigned include MoS for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Giriraj Singh, Skills Development Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy and MoS for Agriculture and Food Processing Sanjeev Baliyan.

At present, there are 72 ministers (24 of cabinet rank, 12 MoS (independent charge) and 36 MoS) in the council of ministers, according to an India Today report. The council of ministers cannot accommodate over 81, which means nine more ministers will be added.

According to Firstpost, over half a dozen ministers are likely to be dropped from the Cabinet in this reshuffle. Times of India reported that Water Resource Minister Uma Bharti has offered to quit on health grounds.

Minister for Medium and Small Scale Industries Kalraj Mishra could be moved to Raj Bhawan because he is above 75 and has reached the informal age-limit of NDA (National Democratic Alliance) ministers.

Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh has also resigned after facing flak over the death of protesting farmers in Madhya Pradesh’s Mandsaur, reported NDTV.

Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman may resign and go back to her former role of the chief spokesperson of the party.

According to India Today, MoS for Steel and Mines Vishnu Deo Sai, MoS for Women and Child Development Krishna Raj and MoS for Social Justice and Empowerment Vijay Sampla can move out.

The speculated reshuffle in the cabinet is necessary because many ministers currently hold multiple portfolios. In addition to Jaitley, Textiles Minister Smriti Irani is holding additional charge of the information and broadcasting ministry. Rural development Minister Narendra Tomar has an additional charge of the urban development ministry following the resignation of M Venkaiah Naidu who was elected as the vice president of the country. Union Science and Technology Minister Harsh Vardhan has been holding the additional charge of the environment portfolio after the death of Anil Madhav Dave in May this year.

Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu, who has been under the adverse spotlight after a spate over derailments, is likely to take over as an environment minister — a responsibility that he performed with aplomb under the Vajpayee government.

Gadkari, who is already in-charge of road transport and shipping, will gain further heft. Rudy is all set to get an important post in the party, reported TOI quoting its sources.

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