New Delhi: The Narendra Modi government reconstituted the eight cabinet committees Wednesday, with representation from its allies in five of the committees including important ones like economic affairs, parliamentary affairs and political affairs.
This is the maximum representation of allies since 2014, a reflection of the BJP’s reduced mandate this time unlike the majority the party had on its own in the last 10 years. The cabinet panels were reconstituted over three weeks after the new government took oath.
Other than including five ministers from its allies and adding new BJP members, some of whom are first-time entrants in the cabinet, Modi has retained most of the his ministers who were there in 2019 in the eight committees, the final decision-making body on matters related to security, economy, parliamentary affairs, political affairs, investment, employment, appointment and accommodation.
There has been no change in the pecking order of the top ministers. Home minister Amit Shah continues to be the second most powerful man in the government after PM Modi, and is part of all the eight cabinet panels.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is part of seven cabinet committees, the highest after Shah and the same as 2019. These include economic affairs, security, political affairs, parliamentary affairs, investment and growth among others.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who as per protocol is the senior-most minister after Modi — he took oath after Modi and was also seated next to him at the ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan — is part of six committees. Singh was part of six committees in 2019 as well.
Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, another BJP veteran, is part of five cabinet committees — economic affairs, political affairs, accommodation, investment and growth, and skill employment and livelihood.
Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal is in four panels, while Foreign Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is a member of the two most important committees – security and economic affairs.
From among the allies, Heavy Industries Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy from Janata Dal (Secular) and Panchayati Raj Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh from Janata Dal (United) are part of the important cabinet panel on economic affairs.
Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and JD(U), being NDA’s largest coalition partners with 16 and 12 MPs respectively, are part of two cabinet panels while Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) with 5 MPs, JD(S) with 2 MPs and Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) with 1 MP are part of one committee each.
The composition of two of the key panels — appointments committee and cabinet committee on security — have remained unchanged. Modi and Shah are part of the first committee, while the PM, Shah, Sitharaman, Jaishankar and Rajnath Singh are present in the security panel.
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Shivraj, Khattar, C.R. Patil enter cabinet committees
The new entrants from the BJP are Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who is part of the cabinet committee on economic affairs. Health minister J.P. Nadda, who remains the BJP president after his term ended 20 June is part of two committees — parliamentary affairs and political affairs.
Among the other new entrants, Housing and Urban Affairs and Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar is part of the committee on accommodation while Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil is part of the parliamentary affairs committee.
Both Women and Child Development Minister Annpurna Devi and Coal and Mines Minister G Kishan Reddy are part of the cabinet panel on political affairs.
Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram is part of the parliamentary affairs committee.
Among the old ministers, who were part of the cabinet earlier, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju is part of two committees — parliamentary affairs and political affairs.
Railways and Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw is part of two committees — investment and skill, employment and livelihood.
Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan is part of the cabinet committee on economic affairs and skill, employment and livelihood.
Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav is part of the cabinet committee on political affairs and skill, employment and livelihood, while Pralhad Joshi is part of the committee on investment and growth .
The notable drop-outs are former BJP ministers Narayan Rane, Anurag Thakur, Smriti Irani, and Arjun Munda. Only Rane and Thakur won their election this time.
TDP & JD(U) ministers in two panels
The eight cabinet committees also have representatives — all first-time ministers — from four key BJP’s allies JD(U), JD(S), TDP, LJP (Ram Vilas Paswan) and HAM.
Besides Rajiv Ranjan Singh from JD(U) and Kumaraswamy from JD(S), Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu from TDP is part of the cabinet committee on parliamentary affairs and political affairs.
Food Processing Industries Minister Chirag Paswan from LJP is part of the cabinet committee on investment while Micro Small and Medium Enterprises Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi is part of the cabinet committee on political affairs.
Junior Education Minister Jayant Chaudhary, leader of the Rashtriya Lok Dal, another NDA ally, is a special invitee in the committee on skill, employment and livelihood.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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