India News

Cabinet reshuffle: Modi rewards performers, emphasis firmly on governance

Published

9 years ago

September 3, 2017

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Of the nine new junior ministers inducted in the council of ministers, 4 are former bureaucrats. Caste equations, politics and regional representation also addressed in rejig

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi finally expanded his council of ministers, on Sunday, he once again lived up to his reputation of being unpredictable in his political decisions. Nearly all media organisations who had been predicting various names of possible gainers and losers were proved wrong in a substantive measure as nine new ministers of state – four of whom are former bureaucrats – were sworn-in to the council of ministers by President Ram Nath Kovind at the Rashtrapati Bhawan.

The new inductions left many stunned – not for the futility of the exercise but for the fact that the Prime Minister finally managed to give an impression that he is serious about governance. However, the promotion of ministers of state with independent charge – Dharmendra Pradhan, Piyush Goyal, Nirmala Sitharaman and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi – to a cabinet rank was almost on expected lines.

The nine junior ministers inducted into the council of ministers are Rajya Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh, Shiv Pratap Shukla, Lok Sabha MPs Ashwini Kumar Chaubey (from Buxar, Bihar), Virendra Kumar (Tikamgarh, MP), Anant Kumar Hegde (Uttara Kannada, Karnataka), Gajendra Singh Shekhawat (Jodhpur, Rajasthan), RK Singh (Arrah, Bihar) and Satyapal Singh (Baghpat, UP) along with KJ Alphons and Hardeep Singh Puri – both of whom are currently not members of either House of Parliament and are likely to be inducted into the Rajya Sabha within the next six months.

The induction of RK Singh, Satyapal Singh, KJ Alphons and Hardeep Puri signals towards Modi’s emphasis on choosing people who understand the complex ropes of bureaucracy and governance. While RK Singh and KJ Alphons are both former IAS officers who have had a distinguished track record, Satyapal Singh is a former IPS officer who has served as Commissioner of Mumbai Police and Hardeep Puri is a former IFS officer who has played important roles at various international forums including the United Nations.

The induction of Puri and Alphons along with the elevation of Naqvi to a cabinet rank also is an effort by the Modi to project his willingness to accommodate minority representation in the council of ministers. Also, Alphons could help the BJP expand its base in Kerala – a state where the saffron party has been desperate to make inroads – as he is known to have excellent relations within the politically significant Syrian Christian community of the state and also the Church which plays an important role in Kerala politics.

The ministers who were elevated to cabinet rank were all found to be good performers in the review of the work of various ministers in the Prime Minister’s council that was carried out by Modi and BJP national president Amit Shah in the run up to the cabinet expansion. While Dharmendra Pradhan’s performance as petroleum minister had won Modi’s attention as he was successful in implementing the Prime Minister’s pet schemes like Ujjwala Yojana, Piyush Goyal’s role in the energy ministry has been termed by observers as proactive and innovative.

Similarly, Sitharaman was seen not only as an above par performer in the Commerce portfolio but also as someone the BJP can use as its political face in Tamil Nadu – which like Kerala has negligible BJP presence at the moment – and for articulating the government’s agenda before the media as she has also served as the party’s spokesperson in the past. Sitharaman, along with finance minister Arun Jaitley, is also in-charge of the BJP’s poll strategy for the upcoming Gujarat Assembly elections.

Though Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi’s performance as minority affairs minister has not seen any significant initiatives, he had proved himself to be a capable minister for parliamentary affairs, especially while countering the Opposition on minority-related issues of mob lynchings, beef ban, changing names of roads and railway stations from their Mughal (read Muslim) origin to those that were in line with the Centre’s Hindutva ideology.

The speculation that ministers of state Rajyavardhan Rathore and Jitendra Singh, who were also seen as good performers in their respective ministries, would be elevated proved to be ravings in the grapevine. Ditto for the buzz around the resignation of water resources minister Uma Bharati, who according to sources, had made it a point to send clear signals to the Modi-Shah duo that any attempt to oust her from the cabinet would result in her sabotaging the party through controversial statements.

Governance aside, Modi has made it a point to not ignore politically crucial issues like caste equations and regional representation while expanding his cabinet.

The induction of Shiv Pratap Shukla as a junior minister is an attempt to maintain the balance of Brahmin and Rajput representation from Uttar Pradesh. Shukla is a BJP veteran who hails from UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s constituency of Gorakhpur and is a prominent Brahmin face of the party locally.

Similarly, the induction of Ashwini Chaubey and RK Singh is meant to give greater representation to Bihar where the BJP has recently returned to power in coalition with Nitish Kumar’s JD (U).

The induction of Virendra Kumar, Gajendra Shekhawat and Anant Kumar Hegde has evidently been done keeping in mind the Assembly elections that are due in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Karnataka respectively over the next 14 months.

Although there was speculation that JD (U) along with AIADMK could get representation in the Union council of ministers, sources said that given the vociferous factional feuds in both these parties, Modi and Shah thought it fit to wait for these fights to resolve before asking their leaders to join the central government. The cabinet expansion only included members from the BJP and Modi once again spurned ally Shiv Sena’s hope of getting an additional cabinet berth or two ministers of state.

The JD (U) and Shiv Sena both called Sunday’s exercise as “an internal reshuffle of the BJP”, with Shiv Sena leaders Sanjay Raut even indicating the party’s displeasure at not getting a berth in the reshuffle by speculating that “this is possibly the BJP’s arrogance of having a majority”.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

India News

Yogi Adityanath takes a dig at Akhilesh Yadav over Ram Temple visit plan

Yogi Adityanath’s remarks came after the Samajwadi Party announced that Akhilesh Yadav would visit the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on December 12.

Published

1 hour ago

November 7, 2026

APNLive Desk

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday took an apparent swipe at Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav over his planned visit to the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, saying those who had fired on Ram devotees should first apologise to them and to the saints.

Yogi made the remarks while addressing the 10th edition of Deepotsav in Ayodhya. He did not name Akhilesh Yadav directly.

Yogi’s remarks come after Akhilesh’s Ayodhya visit plan

The chief minister’s comments came after the Samajwadi Party announced that Akhilesh Yadav would visit the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on December 12. It would be his first visit to the temple since its inauguration, according to the report.

Yogi said those who had earlier neglected and insulted Ayodhya, opened fire on Ram devotees and subjected saints to lathicharge should come to the city only after seeking forgiveness.

“Let them apologise to the devotees of Lord Ram; let them apologise to the saints,” Yogi said, adding that they should repent for their past actions.

Reference to 1990 firing on kar sevaks

Yogi’s remarks referred to the 1990 police firing on kar sevaks during the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. At the time, the Uttar Pradesh government was headed by Mulayam Singh Yadav, Akhilesh Yadav’s father.

The chief minister said those who had once “bloodied” Ayodhya were now remembering the city. He also criticised political leaders over their conduct at religious gatherings, referring to the decorum of a katha.

Akhilesh has not yet visited the Ram Temple

Akhilesh Yadav has visited Ayodhya earlier but has not so far visited the Ram Temple. The SP leader was in the city on October 8 to attend a Bhagwat Katha organised by party leader Pawan Pandey.

According to the report, Akhilesh and his wife, Mainpuri MP Dimple Yadav, are scheduled to offer prayers at the Ram Temple and Hanumangarhi on December 12.

The planned visit comes amid political activity in Ayodhya ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections due by February 2027.

Yogi highlights Ayodhya’s transformation

During his Deepotsav address, Yogi also spoke about the changes in Ayodhya and described the city’s transformation as an ideological victory.

He said those who had previously neglected Ayodhya were now witnessing its development. He also said Lord Ram represented India’s national consciousness, culture, values and self-respect.

The chief minister further recalled the Ram Janmabhoomi movement and said Ayodhya had regained the glory for which kar sevaks and saints had struggled.

India News

Ahead of Diwali, Yogi govt hikes DA by 5% for UP government staff

The Uttar Pradesh government has increased Dearness Allowance by 5 percentage points, taking it from 58% to 63%. The revised rate will benefit lakhs of eligible employees ahead of Diwali.

Published

2 hours ago

November 7, 2026

APNLive Desk

The Uttar Pradesh government has announced a 5 per cent increase in Dearness Allowance (DA) for state government employees ahead of Diwali. With this revision, the DA rate has increased from 58 per cent to 63 per cent, providing financial relief to lakhs of eligible employees across the state.

The revised allowance will be effective from July 1, 2026, according to the government announcement. A government order was also issued on Saturday, November 7.

The enhanced DA will be paid along with employees’ regular November 2026 salaries.

Which employees will benefit from the DA hike?

The decision covers regular state government employees and several other categories of eligible staff.

These include employees of aided educational and technical institutions, regular and full-time employees of urban local bodies, work-charged employees and personnel drawing salaries under University Grants Commission (UGC) pay scales.

The revision is expected to benefit a large section of the Uttar Pradesh workforce ahead of the festive season.

What happens to the DA arrears?

The revised DA rate will apply retrospectively from July 1, 2026. Consequently, employees will also be entitled to arrears for the period preceding the November salary payment.

The government has made provisions for the payment of the arrears for July to October 2026. These amounts will be credited to employees’ provident fund accounts, according to the reported payment arrangements.

The enhanced allowance for November will be reflected in the regular salary for that month.

The decision comes ahead of Diwali and will provide additional financial relief to eligible government employees in Uttar Pradesh.

India News

Himanta Sarma to approach court over threat to gherao home in Zubeen case

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said his government would approach the Supreme Court and Gauhati High Court over a threat to gherao his residence if two prime accused in the Zubeen Garg death case are granted bail.

Published

4 hours ago

November 7, 2026

APNLive Desk

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday said the state government would bring before the Supreme Court and Gauhati High Court a threat by a group to gherao his residence in connection with the Zubeen Garg death case.

Speaking to reporters, Sarma described the threat as a serious matter, saying it posed a danger to his family and could amount to a direct attempt to murder.

The development comes ahead of the Supreme Court hearing on November 30 of the bail petitions filed by Shyamkanu Mahanta and Siddhartha Sharma, the two prime accused in the case.

Why Himanta Sarma plans to approach the courts

Sarma said he had instructed the state government’s legal department to bring the matter to the notice of both the Supreme Court and Gauhati High Court.

The Chief Minister objected to the group threatening to target his residence rather than holding a protest near the Chief Minister’s Office.

He said those questioning the judicial process should approach the Supreme Court or the high court instead of targeting him. Sarma also maintained that the courts should be allowed to carry out their work.

According to him, attempts to question the judicial process in this manner could obstruct the path of justice.

What the group said about the bail pleas

The Zubeen Garg Nyay Samiti, led by Raijor Dal MLA Akhil Gogoi, had announced on Thursday that it would gherao the Chief Minister’s residence under certain circumstances.

The group said it would carry out the protest if Shyamkanu Mahanta and Siddhartha Sharma were granted bail or if the Assam government failed to mount an effective legal opposition to their bail pleas.

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the bail petitions of the two accused on November 30.

Bail granted to two accused in the case

The Gauhati High Court granted bail to singer Amritprava Mahanta, an accused in the Zubeen Garg death case, on October 9. She was granted bail against a bond of Rs 50,000 and two sureties of the same amount.

The high court has also granted bail to Sandipan Garg in the case.

Referring to the bail order concerning Amritprava Mahanta, Sarma said it mentioned that 160 witnesses had not named her during the court hearing, despite having done so during the investigation conducted by the Special Investigation Team (SIT).

Responding to questions over the development, Sarma said the witnesses should be questioned about the discrepancy rather than him.

What happened to Zubeen Garg?

Singer Zubeen Garg died in Singapore on September 19 last year while swimming in the sea.

Police in Singapore had said that no foul play was involved in his death. Garg had travelled to Singapore to attend the fourth edition of the North East India Festival (NEIF).