More hands to help Modi: Expansion cuts across caste & class

Modi's new team includes a former cabinet colleague from his days as Gujarat CM, an academic and a sadhvi

Areligious leader and a former academic, members of powerful or backward castes, all found a place in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's expanded council of ministers on Sunday.

Modi's cabinet colleague from his days as the chief minister of Gujarat, Mohanbhai Kundariya, was inducted. A veteran politician from the Patel community, Kundariya has been a five-time MLA from Tankara in Rajkot district. At present, he is the Rajkot MP.

Then there is Ram Shankar Katheria, a two-time MP from Agra and overseeing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s affairs in Punjab. (KNOW THE NEW MEMBERS IN THE council of MINISTERS)

An academic, he has been a part of BJP's anti-corruption campaign.

The induction of Katheria, along with Vijay Sampla, seems to be aimed at consolidating BJP's growing social base among the Dalits.

Sampla, a Dalit leader representing Punjab's Hoshiarpur (reserved) constituency, grew up in acute poverty and learnt a plumber's trade. Then, he went to Saudi Arabia, where he learnt the hardware business. (PM'S NEW TEAM)

He has won from his constituency on a wafer-thin margin of 124 votes. There are reports the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) pushed for his inclusion in the council of ministers. It is reported to have handled Sampla's Lok Sabha campaign as well.

Incidentally, BJP bagged more Dalit votes in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections than the Bahujan Samaj Party. The party's spectacular show in the general elections in Uttar Pradesh, and the more recent Assembly elections in Maharashtra and Haryana, is attributed partly to its growing appeal among Dalits.

The current expansion has also cut across class lines.

One of the new members of the expanded Cabinet is Sanwar Lal Jat, a member of Parliament (MP) from Ajmer. He holds a doctoral degree in commerce and was a professor in Rajasthan University before joining politics.

He made a successful electoral debut in 1990 and rewon the Assembly elections in 1993, 1998 and 2003. He served as irrigation minister in 2003-08 and joined the Vasundhara Raje cabinet again in 2013, holding the charge of irrigation and water resources. He entered the 16th Lok Sabha by defeating former Union minister Sachin Pilot.

Jat is the second member from Rajasthan to have made the council of ministers. BJP won all 25 Lok Sabha seats in the state.

The former academic will have Niranjan Jyoti, Fatehpur MP, as a ministry peer. Known for her sermons replete with references to Hindu scriptures and hymns, the saffron-clad Sadhvi belongs to the Other Backward Classes.

Her elevation is seen as part of BJP's plan to replicate its Lok Sabha election success in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, scheduled in 2017. The 47-year-old sadhvi had won the Assembly elections from Hamirpur in 2012.

COUNCIL OF MINISTERS IN PAST DECADE

UPA-I (2004-2009)

• Manmohan Singh took oath as PM with 67 ministers, including 28 of Cabinet rank. And, 39 ministers of state (MoS), with 10 having independent charge. Leaner than predecessor Atal Bihari Vajpayee's 77-member council
  

 

First expansion took place in January 2006, following resignations of two and death of another. Ten Cabinet ministers and 12 MoS, including one with independent charge, entered the council
 

In October 2006, A K Antony was inducted into the Cabinet, beside two new MoS
 

In April 2008, seven MoS, including one with independent charge, brought in

UPA-II (2009-2014)

• Manmohan Singh took oath as PM with 19 ministers in May 2009
   
• A week later, he inducted 14 Cabinet ministers, 7 MoS with independent charge and 38 other MoS
   
• First major shuffle took place in January 2011. Praful Patel given heavy industries and public enterprises, Shriprakash Jaiswal coal and Salman Khurshid water resources
  

 

In July 2011, PM undertook a major change. Dinesh Trivedi of Trinamool Congress came in place of Mamata Banerjee, Salman Khurshid became law minister and Jairam Ramesh moved to rural development. Jayanthi Natarajan (environment and forests) was the new entrant
 

Same year in December, Rashtriya Lok Dal joined the government and its chief, Ajit Singh, became civil aviation minister
 

Trinamool Congress quit coalition in September 2012, leaing to a major shuffle in October. Khurshid became foreign affairs minister and Manish Tewari took charge of information and broadcasting. Ajay Maken moved to housing and poverty alleviation
 

In March 2013, DMK withdrew support and its ministers resigned

 

June 2013 saw final reshuffle, with eight new faces

NDA

• Narendra Modi took oath as PM with 23 Cabinet ministers and 22 MoS on May 26, 2014. Of the 22 MoS, 10 had independent charge of at least one ministry
   
• First expansion on November 9. He inducted four more Cabinet ministers and 17 MoS
   
• Shiv Sena leader Suresh Prabhu quit party and joined the ruling BJP, to become part of the Cabinet