As it happened: Javadekar replaces Smriti Irani as HRD minister after cabinet reshuffle

New Council of Ministers

For those coming in just now, here’s what the Council of Ministers looks like after the reshuffle:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Personnel, Public Grievances &  Pensions
Department of Atomic Energy
Department of Space

Cabinet Ministers

Rajnath Singh
Home Affairs

Sushma Swaraj
External Affairs

Arun Jaitley
Finance &
Corporate Affairs

M Venkaiah Naidu
Urban Development
Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation
Information &  Broadcasting

Nitin Jairam Gadkari
Road Transport and Highways
& Shipping

Manohar Parrikar
Defence

Suresh Prabhu
Railways

D V Sadananda Gowda
Statistics & Programme Implementation

Uma Bharati
Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation

Najma A Heptulla
Minority Affairs

Ramvilas Paswan
Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution

Kalraj Mishra
Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises

Maneka Sanjay Gandhi
Women & Child Development

Ananth Kumar
Chemicals & Fertilizers
Parliamentary Affairs

Ravi Shankar Prasad
Law & Justice
Electronics & Information Technology

Jagat Prakash Nadda
Health & Family Welfare

Ashok Gajapathi Raju Pusapati
Civil Aviation

Anant Geete
Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises

Harsimrat Kaur Badal
Food Processing Industries

Narendra Singh Tomar
Rural Development

Panchayati Raj
Drinking Water & Sanitation

Chaudhary Birender Singh
Steel

Jual Oram
Tribal Affairs

Radha Mohan Singh
Agriculture & Farmers Welfare

Thaawar Chand Gehlot
Social Justice and Empowerment

Smriti Zubin Irani
Textiles

Harsh Vardhan
Science & Technology
Earth Sciences

Prakash Javadekar
Human Resource Development

PTI

Oncologist Subhash Ramrao Bhamre replaces Rao Inderjit Singh as MoS Defence

Subhash Ramrao Bhamre, an oncologist and a first-time MP from Maharashtra, was today appopinted as the Minister of State for Defence.

He replaced Rao Inderjit Singh who has been made Minister of State for Planning (Independent Charge) and Urban Development Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation.

Bhamre’s induction into the Union Ministry is being seen as the Modi government’s attempt to compensate Maharashtra for the exit of Raosaheb Danve, who resigned after being appointed the president of BJP’s state unit.

It is also an effort to humour BJP supporters in Jalgaon-Dhule belt, who are apparently unahppy over the exit of party heavyweight Eknath Khadse from the Devendra Fadnavis Ministry in the wake of accusations of wrongdoing in purchase of Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation land.

Bhamre, born on 11 September, 1953, defeated Amrish Patel of Congress to enter the Lok Sabha in 2014 elections from the Dhule constituency, bordering Gujarat. His constituency adjoins Jalgoan, the home turf of Khadse.

He has been offering free treatment to cancer patients.

He has conducted free multiple medical camps and surgeries. He organised public education speeches for cancer awareness and its early detection and prevention.

Bhamre is also known for visiting houses of financially weak cancer patients, who couldn’t afford to visit hospital for diagnosis and treatment.

The 63-year-old BJP MP is a Member of the Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare and also a Member of the Consultative Committee, Ministry of Railways. He is also member of the Committee on Welfare of Other Backward Classes.

Bhamre was among the ’non-political’ personalities fielded by BJP in 2014 elections and registered a convincing victory over Patel as the Modi wave swept the constituency.

During his college days, Bhamre was the vice captain of Mumbai University’s chess and basket ball teams. 

PTI

Shivraj Chouhan thanks PM for giving MP ’largest-ever’ representation
 

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan today thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for making three more MPs from the state union ministers, and elevating Prakash Javadekar to the cabinet rank.

MP now has eight ministers in the union cabinet.

“I express gratitude to the Prime Minister for giving Madhya Pradesh the largest-ever representation in the union cabinet after the Independence,” Chouhan said.

This will accelerate the pace of development in the state, he said in a release.

Javadekar, earlier a minister of state with independent charge, was today made a cabinet minister, while MJ Akbar and Anil Dave were sworn in as ministers of state. All three are Rajya Sabha members from Madhya Pradesh.

Besides, BJP’s tribal face Faggan Singh Kulaste was also inducted.

Lok Sabha members from the state, namely, Sushma Swaraj, Narendra Singh Tomar, Thawar Chand Gehlot, and Rajya Sabha member Najma Haptullah already represent Madhya Pradesh in the union cabinet. 

PTI

Hansraj Gangaram Ahir is MoS Home Affairs

Hansraj Gangaram Ahir, a 61-year-old Lok Sabha MP from Chandrapur, Maharashtra, has been appointed MoS Home Affairs.

Ramdas Athawale bags Social Justice portfolio

Ramdas Athawale is the new Social Justice and Empowerment minister. Born in Maharashtra’s Agalgaon in Sangli district on 25 December, 1959, Athawale has been a member of the Rajya Sabha since 2014.

Fagan Singh Kulaste is new MoS Family Health and Welfare 

Fagan Singh Kulaste has been appointed as MoS Family Health and Welfare. Born in Barbat in Mandla district, the 57-year-old MP was elected to the Lok Sabha from Mandla. He has been a Lok Sabha MP four times between 1996 and 2004 and a Rajya Sabha member between 2012-14.

Smriti Irani tops Twitter trends

Smriti Irani is trending on Twitter, after news broke that she has been shifted out of the Human Resources Development Ministry and into Textiles Ministry. She has even beaten Jayant Sinha, who is now third on Twitter’s trending topics in India.

Here’s how Twitterati is reacting to the shock:

#SmritiIrani finally booted out of #HRD. What a relief for suffocated education system!

— RR (@RichieRego) July 5, 2016

PM Modi still acts way beyond pundits' predictions. Exactly why one shouldn't write off Smriti Irani. You can't predict where she is headed

— Abhijit Majumder (@abhijitmajumder) July 5, 2016

Moving #smritiirani out of HRD & RS Prasad from telecom are truly robust & meritocratic decisions.Welcum evidence that NaMo means business.

— AKSHAT JETHLIYA (@aksh_jethliya) July 5, 2016

Did you know? 

SS Ahluwalia, who has been appointed MoS Parliament Affairs, was born in Jaykay Nagar in Burdwan on 4 July, 1951. He holds BSc and LLB degrees. He is a Lok Sabha MP representing Darjeeling. He was Minister of State for Urban Affairs and Employment, and Parliamentary Affairs between September 1995 – May 1996.

Change in environment ministry

With Javadekar moving to HRD, Anil Madhav Dave is new Environment, Forest and Climate Change minister. Born in Barnagar, Ujjain on 6 July, 1956, he holds a masters degree in commerce. He is a member of Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh.

Sadananda Gowda loses Law Ministry portfolio, is shifted to Statistics and Programme Implementation

Mahesh Sharma loses Civil Aviation, retains Culture and Tourism portfolio

Smriti Irani gives up Human Resource Development Ministry, is new textiles minister

Smriti Irani has been moved from HRD Ministry to Textiles Ministry and Prakash Javadekar is now the new HRD Minister, reports Times Now. Venkaiah Naidu has been allotted the I&B portfolio while SS Ahluwalia has been appointed MoS Parliament Affairs. 

Rajen Gohain is new MoS Railways while Babul Supriyo is new MoS Urban Development

MJAkbar is MoS External Affairs

Katheria and Kundaria accept fate, say will work for the party

Ram Shankar Katheria and Mohanbhai Kundaria seemed to have reconciled to the fact that they have been dropped from the council of ministers. 

Katheria told IANS that his exit from the union council of ministers has nothing to do with the controversial statements he made, which he continues to stand by.

He told IANS that perhaps the changes in the ministry were necessitated and the party will enlist his services on organisational assignments mainly in view of the upcoming elections in Uttar Pradesh. 

“Mujhe lagta hai ki hum log sangathan mein kaam karenge, chunav hai to hum log jyada kaam karenge (I think we will work in the organisation, we will work more in view of the polls),” Katheria told IANS.

“It was necessary. What kind of reshuffle was needed in the government, I think, honourable Prime Minister did it.”

Katheria, who was minister of state for HRD, also said that he was being dropped from the council as “my party would need my services in the organisation. I will abide by the decision of the party leadership”. 

Asked if he may be required to play a role in the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, which are scheduled next year, the Agra MP said that nothing specific has been conveyed to him.

Katheria further said that BJP chief Amit Shah did not say anything particular about his role in Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. “Whatever BJP chief and the party would decide, I would go by it.” 

He maintained that it is wrong to say that he was dropped because of his controversial remarks.

“Whatever I said, I said in the nation’s interest and I stand by it,” Katheria said.

About a fortnight ago, while addressing a gathering at the Lucknow University, Katheria had said there would be “saffronisation of education and the country” which, he suggested, was being done because it was “beneficial” for the country. 

“Whatever is good for the country will be done, be it saffronisation or Sanghwaad (propagation of RSS ideology),” the minister had said. 

Gujarat’s Rajkot MP Mohanbhai Kundaria, who was Minister of State for Agriculture, said that he accepted the party’s decision. 

“I accept the party’s decision. I am a soldier of the party which gave me several opportunities. I was five-time MLA in Gujarat and two-time MP. I was also made the party’s district president. The party’s decision is right,” he told IANS. 

IANS

Javadekar promoted, 19 new faces get berth in Cabinet reshuffle

View pics from the oath-taking ceremony  here

New ministers will do their best for country: Shah

BJP President Amit Shah today expressed confidence that the newly-inducted ministers in the government will do their best for the country.

“Congratulations to all newly sworn-in ministers. I am sure under the leadership of PM Shri Narendra Modi they will do their best for India,” he said in a tweet.

Party leaders said with many of those coming from Dalit and OBC community been given large representation in the Union Cabinet, it will help the organisation electorally.

BJP’s National Secretary Sidharth Nath Singh noted that a number of new ministers have served in state governments earlier and are conversant with delivery mechanism of the central projects on the ground.

“Their experience will be big help and strengthen the agenda of cooperative federalism,” he told reporters. 

PTI

Gujarat leader Mansukhbhai Vasava says he is clueless about why he was dropped from Cabinet

Mansukhbhai Vasava said that three months back, in a letter to Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel, he had threatened to quit the post if his complaints regarding tribal welfare in the state were not addressed.

“I have no idea why I was asked to leave, will seek clarity from the party high command. As a tribal minister, I
did all that was required for the benefit of tribal community and regions, under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” Vasava told PTI.

“But I was working in a hostile condition in my own ministry,” he said.

During the Union Cabinet expansion and reshuffle on Tuesday, Modi dropped Vasava and in his place inducted another tribal face from the state, Jaswantsinh Bhabhor.

PTI

BJP and the Brahmin vote in UP

BJP is exercising precaution not to annoy the upper castes in Uttar Pradesh. The Cabinet reshuffle exercise includes a Brahmin face from the state.

The induction of Chandauli MP Marendra Nath Pandey, a prominent Brahmin leader from eastern UP, is a clear indication by BJP to woo the Brahmins.

The 58-year-old leader is a two-time MLA and his induction is seen as an example of BJP going the whole hog to win after being out of power for a decade-and-a-half in the state.

The party apparently does not want to leave anything to chance as far as retaining the upper caste voters is concerned, more so after the expulsion of state BJP chief Laxmikant Bajpai.

Pandey’s induction in the central government is being seen as an attempt to reach out to the significantly large Brahmin vote bank in the state.

The Brahmins, who were traditionally Congress supporters, had been siding with BJP in the post-Mandal era. However, a large chunk of them later also voted for Mayawati’s BSP.

PTI

And the wait continues…

PM Modi is going to meet BJP leaders shortly to decide on portfolios for the newly inducted ministers, reports Times Now.

Why Krishna Raj’s induction is important

The swearing-in of Shahjahanpur MP Krishna Raj is also significant ahead of the UP polls as the Scheduled Caste community forms a sizable chunk of the electorate.

Forty-nine-year-old Krishna Raj belongs to Pasi community, which is also part of the large Dalit votebank. She is a first time BJP MP and one of the party’s Dalit faces from UP.

Raj was elected in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls from Shahjahanpur seat after her two stints in the UP Assembly in 1996 and 2007.

She belongs to the Rohilkhand region of the state and her inclusion in the expanded NDA ministry will give more teeth to the saffron party among Scheduled Caste Pasi electorate.

PTI

Kurmi vs Kurmi: Modi govt pits Anupriya Patel against Nitish Kumar 

The prominence given to Apna Dal leader Anupriya Patel, a Kurmi leader from eastern Uttar Pradesh, is seen as BJP’s move to pre-empt rise of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, another Kurmi leader.

Her inclusion in the Council of Ministers is apparently aimed at consolidating backward votes, especially eastern parts of the state where Nitish has been trying to make a foray ahead of the 2017 Assembly polls.

So far, Nitish has held three rallies in UP and plans another visit later this month.

Anupriya, a first time MP, is an eloquent pro-Modi voice within and outside Lok Sabha whose OBC roots have positioned her as an important BJP ally in UP.

The 35-year-old Lok Sabha member from Mirzapur in UP won on the ticket of Apna Dal, a party founded by her father and Kurmi leader Sonelal Patel which later split, with the major faction siding with her mother, who expelled her from the party.

The support of BJP, Anupriya’s associates say, can help her claim the legacy of her father who built Apna Dal’s base among OBCs, primarily his fellow castemen Kurmis. 

BJP believes that a ministerial berth will give her the stature and gravitas required to work on Kurmi voters, who play an important role in deciding the fate of candidates in certain parts of the Hindi heartland state.

Her speeches in the Lower House on various issues have often drawn praise from the treasury benches.

PTI

Cabinet reshuffle signals India inching towards presidential form of govt

​

One unambiguous message that emanates from Tuesday’s cabinet expansion of the Modi government is that the governance in India, premised on the ‘collective responsibility of the cabinet ministers’, has over the years mutated into a ‘presidential form’ of government – slowly echoing a singular power system, like in the United States.

This clearly means that the stature of the prime minister dwarfs his cabinet colleagues so much that most of them are reduced to insignificant entities. Take for example the names of the 19 new ministers inducted in the council, and the five ministers who were axed; none with a few exceptions are etched in people’s perception for their distinct identity, or are known for their exceptional oratory skills and influence on national politics.

Of course, the expansion of the council of ministers can also be interpreted as a deft move to give representation to people who fall beyond the power politics of the charmed circle of Lutyens’ Delhi. This indeed is a positive trend, given the country’s size and diversity. But the fact that none of these leaders have the stature of being regional satraps marks a distinct deviation in the method of governance.

To read more, click here

Ministry expansion a drama before UP polls: Mayawati

Terming as a drama today’s expansion of the Union Council of Ministers, BSP chief Mayawati said giving representation to a couple of leaders from the deprived sections will not ameliorate the lot of those communities.

“The expansion of the Narendra Modi ministry carried out today is nothing but a drama enacted especially before Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Previous Congress governments had enacted a similar drama…BJP is merely following Congress,” Mayawati said in a statement.

“After more than two years, giving some minor positions to a couple of leaders from the deprived and weaker sections will not have any impact on the lot of these communities nor will it improve their social and economic condition,” she said.

It requires concrete and dedicated steps to uplift them but the Modi government is not concerned about it, the BSP chief said.

Mayawati alleged that since the Modi government has worked only for capitalists and neglected the poor, farmers, Dalits, backwards and Muslims in its two years years in office, it has created hype about the expansion of the Union Council of Ministers.

Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s interaction with media on Monday, Mayawati said he has himself admitted that his government has not lived up to people’s expectations of controlling inflation and reducing unemployment.

She also contested Modi’s claim that development will be the agenda of his party in the UP polls and not caste or religion, saying the past record of BJP proved otherwise “as its development agenda has been limited to only that of capitalists”.

Mayawati said the Modi government is also faced with a serious charge of writing off Rs 200-crore fine imposed on Adani group by the forest and environment ministry and sought an explanation on the issue. 

PTI

What to make of PM Modi’s minimum govt promise?

Minimum government this certainly is not. Team Modi now comprises of 78 ministers – same as Manmohan Singh’s Council of Ministers.

Modi started his prime ministerial stint in 2014 with only 45 ministers, and this was widely flaunted as his commitment to minimum government. At that time, this writer had pointed out that Modi’s was a lean government, not a minimum government. But now it is not even a lean government. Seventy-nine is just a smidgeon short of the 81-member cap that the ninety-first amendment of the Constitution sets (15 percent of the strength of the lower house).

So what exactly does Modi mean by minimum government? In the May 2014 article, this writer had pointed out that minimum government is not about numbers, that it is a philosophy and a certain view of the role of the state, which Modi did not seem to have grasped.

Two years on, he still does not seem to have understood the essence of the philosophy of minimum government.

When asked, at an interaction with a group of journalists, about his minimum government, maximum governance slogan, Modi replied: “Earlier, a cabinet note used to take at least three months to get prepared. Now files are getting cleared in 15 days to one month; there could be exceptions. . . . Earlier the government used to work in silos, it no longer works in silos.”

Sorry, but that may be maximum governance but definitely not minimum government.

To read more, click here .

Modi tempers reliance on youth with induction of 10 experienced ministers 

BJP MP from Mandla in Madhya Pradesh, Faggan Singh Kulaste who was born on 18 May 1959, at 57 is a senior leader. At 58, Mahendra Nath Pandey is another BJP leader from UP who joins the Union Council of Ministers from the crucial northern state.

Fifty-six-year-old Ramdas Athawale is a RPI(A) leader from Maharashtra.

Born on 6 July 1956, Anil Madhav Dave, a BJP Rajya Sabha MP representing Madhya Pradesh, got an advance birthday present as he joined the council of ministers, just a day before he turns 60.

However, there are many others who are above 60 and bring a wealth of experience with them.

Sixty-five-year-old MJ Akbar is a veteran journalist. Former Union Minister Vijay Goel, at 62 has again become a part of the Council of Ministers. Goel represents Rajasthan in Rajya Sabha, and a key BJP leader in Delhi.

Another veteran who has now become a minister is 61-year-old Arjun Ram Meghwal. The Bikaner MP was the party’s Chief Whip in the current Lok Sabha.

Sixty-four-year-old Ramesh C Jigaginag, who represents the Bijapur constituency of Karnataka has also been included in the council of ministers. Veteran BJP leader SS Ahluwalia (65) is another leader who brings in vast experience of public life with him.

PP Chaudhary, who celebrates his 63rd birthday in a week being born on 12 July, 1953, is the sitting MP from Pali, Rajasthan. Sixty-eight-year-old CR Chaudhary represents Nagaur in Rajasthan, 61-year-old Gujarat veteran and Rajya Sabha MP Parshottam Rupala, SR Bhamre who is MP from Dhule in Maharashtra are among others above the age of 60.

Another senior 65-year-old Rajen Gohain, is a Lok Sabha MP from Assam, where the BJP scored a crucial electoral victory in the recent assembly polls.

PTI

Anupriya Patel, 35, youngest new face as Modi inducts five new ministers below 50 years of age

Bringing in five ministers aged below 50, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sought to give more space to youth in his council of ministers.

At 35 years, Anupriya Patel, who comes from electorally crucial Uttar Pradesh, is the youngest face to be inducted in the Modi government today. Patel’s party Apna Dal is a key NDA ally in UP which goes to polls in 2017.

Forty-three-year-old Almora MP Ajay Tamta who was born on 16 July, 1972 is young face from Uttarakhand, which like UP is also poll bound next year.

Mansukhbhai Mandaviya, BJP’s Rajya Sabha MP from Gujarat, is another young leader who has become a Union minister at just 44-years of age. Gujarat too is going to polls next year.

Forty-nine-year-old Krishna Raj is BJP MP from Shahjahanpur, while Jaswantsinh Bhabhor who represents Dahod in Gujarat, being born on 22 Aug 1966, turns 50 next month.

PTI

Best wishes to the new Ministers inducted into the #ModiCabinet. pic.twitter.com/oRT3EwTRPn

— Ministry of WCD (@MinistryWCD) July 5, 2016

Did you know?
Six lawyers, a specialist in cancer surgery and a PhD degree holder are among ministers who were today inducted in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ministry.

Apart from these, four ministers have post-graduate degree, five are graduate and two are undergraduates.

Out of six lawyer ministers, PP Chaudhary practised law in the Supreme Court while the others are Vijay Goel, Faggan Singh Kulaste, Arjun Ram Meghwal, SS Ahluwalia and Rajan Gohain.

Subhash Ram Rao Bhamre is the only minister with a medical background in the newly expanded Council of Ministers. He is a doctor with super specialisation in cancer surgery.

Ministers Krishna Raj, Anupriya Singh Patel, CR Chaudhary and Anil Madhav Dave have post-graduate degree, while MJ Akbar, Ramesh Jigajinagi, Jaswant Sinh Bhabhor, Parshottam Rupala and Mansukh Mandaviya are graduates.

Mahendra Nath Pandey is the only newly inducted minister who holds a doctorate degree. He is PhD in Hindi.

The other two ministers, Ajay Tamta and Ramdas Athalwale, are undergraduate, as per the information available on the websites of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. 

PTI

Cabinet approves short-term loans to be given to farmers, reports ANI.

Cabinet approves short-term loans to be given to farmers

— ANI (@ANI) July 5, 2016

Delhi: Cabinet & CCEA briefing by Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad pic.twitter.com/8CW6bCnmOy

— ANI (@ANI) July 5, 2016

High courts to be renamed

RS Prasad stated after the Cabinet meeting that Calcutta HC will now be known as Kolkata HC, Bombay HC now Mumbai HC and Madras HC now Chennai HC, reported ANI. 

Calcutta HC will now be known as Kolkata HC, Bombay HC now Mumbai HC and Madras HC now Chennai HC: RS Prasad after cabinet meeting

— ANI (@ANI) July 5, 2016

The induction of Vijay Goel as minister in the Modi government marks a turnaround in his fortune. The fall in the 62-year-old Goel’s stock was as swift as the rise of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah in the party. He was removed as BJP’s Delhi unit chief and assigned little role in the last two Assembly elections in the national capital. He was sent to Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan.

Goel’s perseverance and efforts to voice the party’s and the government’s agenda have brought him back in the reckoning and his experience as a minister in the first NDA government under Atal Bihari Vajpayee was seen as an added asset.

Many in BJP believe that the media savvy leader can be an effective counter to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s
frequent attacks on the central government.

PTI