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Cabinet reshuffle: Modi rewards performers, emphasis firmly on governance

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9 years ago

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[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.

Nirmala Sitharaman

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.

Shiv Pratap

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]

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PM Modi takes aim at critics with Dimagi Naxal remark at SRCC centenary address

PM Modi revived his dimagi Naxal remark at SRCC’s centenary celebrations and spoke about India’s development journey.

Published

5 hours ago

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September 6, 2026

By

PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi revived his ‘dimagi Naxal’ remark while addressing the centenary celebrations of Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) in Delhi on Saturday, using the term to criticise his opponents.

Speaking to students at the Delhi college, PM Modi described the phrase as a “homeopathic pill” and said it had prompted those he described as “dimagi Naxals” to come forward and reveal their views.

The prime minister also used his address to speak to Gen-Z about India’s development journey and asked students to consider the challenges the country had faced in the past.

PM Modi recalls past crises

During his speech, PM Modi referred to the 2013 Kedarnath disaster and the 2008 global financial crisis while criticising the handling of national emergencies by previous governments.

He said the government at the time of the Kedarnath disaster was shaken and questioned its ability to respond to the crisis.

Referring to the 2008 banking crisis, PM Modi alleged that the government of the time failed to effectively deal with the situation and claimed that India’s banking system was pushed close to collapse.

Prime minister lists challenges faced by his government

PM Modi also highlighted several major global crises that occurred during his government’s tenure.

He mentioned the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war, disruptions to global trade and supply chains, and the crisis in West Asia.

The prime minister said there had been concerns that India would struggle during these crises but argued that the country had continued to move forward.

PM Modi’s earlier SRCC visit

PM Modi had earlier visited SRCC in 2013, when he was the chief minister of Gujarat. His speech at the college received significant attention, particularly on social media, ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha election.

His latest visit came during the college’s centenary celebrations, where his address focused on young people, India’s development ambitions and the challenges faced by the country.

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India Metro Rail Network May Overtake US in 2 Years

India’s metro rail network has reached 1,170 km across 26 cities. Union minister Manohar Lal said the country could overtake the US in network length within two years.

Published

19 hours ago

on

September 5, 2026

By

Manohar Lal Khattar

India is on track to become the country with the second-largest metro rail network in the world after China, with Union Minister Manohar Lal saying the country could overtake the United States within the next two years.

India’s metro rail network has now expanded to 1,170 km across 26 cities. The network is only 216 km shorter than the US metro rail network, which stands at 1,386 km, according to figures cited by the minister.

India’s metro network expands rapidly

Speaking after the inauguration of an extended metro service in Indore, Manohar Lal highlighted the pace at which metro connectivity has grown in India.

He said metro services were operational across just 245 km in five cities when Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed office in 2014. The network has since expanded to 1,170 km across 26 cities.

The minister said India could overtake the US in terms of metro rail network length in the next two years and become the world’s second-largest country in this segment after China.

China currently has around 8,000 km of metro rail lines, according to the figures cited by the minister.

Indore metro extension inaugurated

The minister made the remarks after inaugurating an extended section of the Indore metro. The project was built at a cost of around Rs 2,850 crore.

The Indore metro was earlier operating commercially on a six-km stretch between Gandhi Nagar and Super Corridor-3 stations. Following the extension, the service will operate on a 17-km route between Gandhi Nagar and Malviya Nagar Chauraha.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said the metro service would mark a new phase in Indore’s development. He also said the network would eventually be extended to Ujjain and other nearby areas.

India’s metro rail network: Key figures

  • India currently has 1,170 km of operational metro rail network.
  • Metro services are operational across 26 cities.
  • The US has around 1,386 km of metro rail network.
  • India is currently 216 km behind the US.
  • China has around 8,000 km of metro rail lines.
  • India’s operational network stood at 245 km across five cities in 2014.

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PM Modi returns to SRCC after 13 years, revisits 2013 glass full speech

PM Narendra Modi returned to SRCC after 13 years for its centenary celebrations, revisiting themes from his landmark 2013 address.

Published

20 hours ago

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September 5, 2026

By

PM Narendra Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi returned to Delhi University’s Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) on Saturday, 13 years after his previous visit to the institution as Gujarat chief minister. 

His latest visit came as SRCC marked its centenary celebrations. Modi’s 2013 address at the college had attracted significant attention as he spoke about India’s youth, governance and the country’s demographic potential.

In 2013, Modi was Gujarat chief minister and had not yet been named the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate. He returned to the same campus this year as Prime Minister, having completed 12 years as Prime Minister and serving his third consecutive term. 

What PM Modi said at SRCC in 2013

The 2013 lecture was titled Emerging Business Models in the Global Scenario. The address also covered governance and India’s young population.

He described India’s youth as a source of national strength rather than simply a group of new-age voters. He also highlighted India’s demographic advantage and argued that the country needed to make better use of its young population.

One of the notable moments from the speech involved a glass of water.  Modi contrasted the conventional descriptions of a glass as half full or half empty and said he viewed it as full, with half containing water and the other half air.

The speech also included his remarks on technology and young Indians. Referring to an anecdote from a visit to Taiwan, Modi used the phrase “mouse-charmers” to describe Indians using computers and suggested that young Indians had the ability to influence the world through technology.

‘Minimum government, maximum governance’

Modi’s 2013 address also touched on governance. He spoke about the role of government and the need for better governance.

He also spoke about India’s potential in the 21st century. 

Modi returns as PM for SRCC centenary

The September 5 visit coincided with Teachers’ Day and SRCC’s 100th anniversary. The Prime Minister’s Office had announced that Modi would participate in the college’s centenary celebrations and address the gathering. SRCC was established in 1926 by industrialist and philanthropist Sir Shri Ram.

Earlier this year, Modi also met the SRCC governing body at his residence in April in connection with the college’s centenary celebrations and released a commemorative postage stamp marking the occasion. 

The return to SRCC came 13 years after his 2013 appearance at the college, when he addressed students as Gujarat chief minister.

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