The Union Cabinet reshuffle could be in line with Kamaraj Plan

A composite photo of BJP President Amit Shah and former Congress president Kamraj

Ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, BJP chief Amit Shah chalks out a major overhaul in the organisational structure

Whenever a major cabinet reshuffle takes place, the phrase, ‘Kamaraj Plan’, starts doing the rounds. Named after the former chief minister of the Madras Province, the term refers to a strategy under which important ministers in the government resign to work for the party.

Even in the latest round of cabinet overhaul, scheduled Sunday, BJP chief Amit Shah appears to have revisited the 1963 plan.

In 1962, then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru led the Congress party to a third consecutive victory. A few months into the government, the India-China war broke out, putting a question mark on Nehru’s foreign policies.

After the war, then finance minister Morarji Desai imposed heavy taxes on citizens, igniting widespread anger against the Nehru government. The result became evident in the three quick byelections of Lok Sabha in 1963, in which Congress lost heavily to opposition stalwarts such as Ram Manohar Lohia, J.B. Kripalani and Minoo Masani.

Kumaraswami Kamaraj was a three-time chief minister of Madras — a province that comprised today’s Tamil Nadu and parts of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. He was a leader with mass appeal. As chief minister, he carried out educational and agricultural reforms in the state. Despite such fame, his clout was waning with the rise of a regional party, DMK under the leadership of M. Karunanidhi.

Kamaraj suggested Nehru that all top ministers of the government should resign and go back to the organisation, Congress, to win the confidence of the people. On October 2, 1963, he offered his resignation first and then a number of heads rolled. Six cabinet ministers, including Lal Bahadur Shastri, Jagjivan Ram and Morarji Desai and five CMs, including Biju Patnaik, stepped down to work for the party.

This incident made Kamaraj an instant hero and became Congress president a week later. He was one of the most active presidents of the party who closely monitored the performance of the government and took control of party affairs at a time when Nehru was facing health issues.

Kamaraj made Nehru reinstate Lal Bahadur Shastri as a minister without portfolio, who virtually worked as a deputy PM. Kamaraj almost made it clear to the party that Shastri would be the PM after Nehru and hence completely ignored Morarji Desai. He repeated this trend after Shastri died in Tashkent in 1966, by making a young Indira Gandhi prime minister, again sidelining Desai.

In 1969, a power struggle with Indira Gandhi led to a split in Congress. In a sense, he was the first kingmaker of Indian politics who never eyed for the top post himself and worked for the organisation.

“The Kamaraj Plan was the first instance of a cabinet overhaul and a party overhaul,” says Gopalkrishna Gandhi. “It was an attempt to shake a party out of its lethargy and complacency, which was losing ground among the masses though it’s still enjoying a ‘carry-over’ majority in Parliament and in state assemblies.”

In comparison, Shah, the current BJP chief, comes very close to Kamaraj in terms of running the organisation. Like Kamaraj, Shah never aspires for a post in the government. He closely monitors the performance of all the ministers and handpicks those whom he thinks would play a better role in the organisation.

At least six ministers in the Modi cabinet are likely to be relieved of their present duties and Shah will involve them in party work. Rajiv Pratap Rudy, who was a cabinet minister in the Vajpayee government, was made a minister of state with (independent charge) for skill development. But before joining the government, Rudy was in-charge of Maharashtra, where BJP-Shiv Sena came to power for the first time. Rudy might get a similar responsibility in the party this time too.

Sanjeev Balyan, another outgoing minister, is a firebrand Jat leader from western UP, who helped mobilise the Jats in recent assembly elections, despite the fact that the community was unhappy with the BJP over the reservation issue.

“He knows who is fit for what role and doesn’t hesitate in taking a chance for the benefit of the party,” says a BJP spokesperson. Kalraj Mishra, a veteran Brahmin leader from UP, is also being relieved of his cabinet duty.

Minister of state for human resource development, Dr Mahendra Nath Pandey, another Brahmin leader, has been relieved too and has been made UP BJP president. Pandey is from Jaunpur and has influence in Purvanchal.

“It is only under leadership of Prime Minister Modi and party president Amit Shah that a person like me can become the president of Delhi BJP,” says Manoj Tiwari. Tiwary, joined the party just before 2014 Lok Sabha elections and became an MP from north Delhi. Tiwari is the first Delhi BJP president who is not from the city.

Gopalkrishna Gandhi, however, has a different take. “Who is Kamaraj, who is Lal Bahadur in today’s context? Are there any ‘top’ leaders in the ruling party now,” he wonders. “The whole cabinet can go or stay; it will make little difference to the power structure…the PM and the BJP president.”

Editor’s Note: An earlier version of the article incorrectly stated that S.K. Patil had resigned as chief minister. The error is regretted.