NEW DELHI: Amid Opposition criticism over the lack of a Muslim face in the Union ministry, the BJP-led NDA government is reportedly looking to address it in the upcoming reshuffle, expected between May and July.
Party sources indicated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is giving serious thought to including a Muslim member, potentially from the Pasmanda community, in line with his governance mantra of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas. The induction is expected to be made at the level of MoS (minister of state) in the Ministry of Minority Affairs.
The BJP has two prominent Muslim faces — Gulam Ali Khatana, a Rajya Sabha MP, and Jamal Siddiqui, national president of the party’s Minority Morcha. If Siddiqui is inducted, he could subsequently get a Rajya Sabha ticket. While Siddiqui hails from Maharashtra, Khatana is from J&K.
“The chosen one is expected to be from the Pasmanda category, aligning with the PM’s emphasis on bringing the community into the national mainstream,” a senior BJP leader said.
The reshuffle is expected to draw more attention after the party elects national president J P Nadda’s successor by the second week of May.
The shake-up could affect at least a dozen ministries following evaluation of report cards on the performance of incumbents by the Prime Minister’s Office.
According to insiders, the Ministry of Minority Affairs, presently held by Kiren Rijiju, could be assigned a new face. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is also expected to see a change in leadership. The reshuffle could also impact the ministries of urban development, petroleum and natural gas, law and justice, development of North Eastern Regions, coal and mines, and electronics and information technology.
Furthermore, the rule of ‘one person, one person’ is likely to be strictly enforced.