Narendra Singh Tomar: Minister for the grassroots, from the grassroots

By replacing Radha Mohan Singh as agriculture minister, Tomar has reached an exalted position that put him in front of the cameras for a Cabinet briefing on the very first day in office

Narendra Singh Tomar was one of those ministers who hardly made a headline in the Narendra Modi government last time. But now, by replacing Radha Mohan Singh as agriculture minister, 62-year-old Tomar has reached an exalted position that put him in front of the cameras for a Cabinet briefing on the very first day in office. In 2014, he was made minister of labour and employment, mines and steel. It is not that the stint in these ministries did not leave a mark. Labour reforms were initiated then, without much success, as states, and the crucial Mines & Mineral Development and Regulation Act was overhauled during that period. In July 2016, he was given a new assignment of rural development, panchyati raj, drinking water and sanitation. “He is not as suave as Arun Jaitley and Piyush Goyal but has a ground-level hold because of his RSS background. He makes up for his lack of knowledge on technical issues and English language through his interpersonal skills,” says an official who has worked with him.

Agriculture, just as rural development, would, however, be an easier task for Tomar and a natural progression for someone who has experience of being minister at his home state of MP as well.