Cabinet in the making
As is its wont, the Delhi Durbar is buzzing over the shape and size of Modi Sarkar 2.0. Particularly, who will make it to the Cabinet Committee of Security, the most powerful Cabinet body. And who all from the old CCS will make it to the new. Such was the fervour that a new CCS list started doing the rounds even a day before the real results. The maximum tattle is over Amit Shah, who won the Gandhinagar seat with a whopping majority. His portfolio has by now been changed from Home to Finance, with J P Nadda billed to take over the reins of the party. Rajnath Singh’s placement too has undergone various permutations, from Agriculture to Defence and back as Home Minister. Piyush Goyal similarly was given the Finance portfolio, then stripped of it. The ubiquitous news hounds have obviously been on the prowl. The buzz reached such a crescendo that Prime Minister Modi himself took it upon himself to pour cold water on the enterprise. He warned the newly elected MPs to disbelieve what they hear and ignore congratulatory phone calls offering Cabinet berths.
Jaitley’s absence
Arun Jaitley’s absence from the victory celebrations at the BJP headquarters sparked off another bout of speculation. Not all of it in good taste. He, indeed, was at AIIMS for a day. The reason for his absence from public meetings, celebratory or otherwise, is because he has been asked to avoid places where he can be exposed to infection, not because he has undergone blood transfusion. That being the case, his reinduction in the Cabinet as FM has been put in question. However, photo evidence of him giving instruction to Fin Min officials to ‘begin the process’ of the budget for the new government at a meeting at his home has since surfaced. Obviously to counter the rumours.
Bureaucratic rejig
The new or renewed Modi government will naturally have a new-look PMO. Having spent the last five years helming Delhi, Modi and Amit Shah are no longer strangers to the inner workings of the Lutyens zone and its subtle intrigues. This time, it seems, the portfolio distribution and bureaucratic reshuffle is entirely being handled by the power duo. Principal Secretary Nripendra Mishra may be on his way out. Even Ajit Doval may get a new assignment. The hunt is on for a new NSA, but it may be not ex-foreign secretary S Jaishankar, who’s taken up a plum corporate job. Under the circumstances, Doval may continue for a few more months. A search is also on for a Cabinet Secretary: incumbent P K Sinha is set to retire in a few days. Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba is seen to be the frontrunner.
Protem Speaker
Usually the senior-most parliamentarian assumes the role of the protem speaker. The toss is between Santosh Gangwar and Maneka Gandhi. Both, it seems, are seven-term MPs. Since the protem speaker administers oath to elected MPs, Maneka Gandhi’s appointment is expected to cause not a little consternation to Sonia Gandhi. The latter is the lone Congress MP from UP. President Ram Nath Kovind is likely to give oath to the protem speaker on June 3. For the Speaker post too, a quiet race has begun.
Rahul resignation & CWC
Kerala has a special place in Rahul Gandhi’s political career. It was the Kerala unit of the Congress which had proposed his name as party vice-president in the Jaipur AICC session and later A K Antony moved the resolution electing him president of the Congress party. In the election, Kerala has not only come as a face-saver for the Congress but also for Rahul Gandhi. He’s now an MP from the state, which saw a reverse swing for UDF. The CWC resolution adopted on Saturday reposing faith in Rahul’s leadership, rejecting his offer to resign, was in fact drafted a day before by a senior Congressman from Kerala at Manmohan Singh’ residence. Rahul, however, is adamant. At CWC, Priyanka Gandhi too tried to persuade her brother not to desert the ship now. Only Sonia Gandhi sat silently throughout, without uttering a single word.
Santwana Bhattacharya
The author is Resident Editor, Bangalore, TNIE. Email:
santwana@newindianexpress.com