Decoding Modi Govt Reshuffle: More work, less talk and other takeaways

The political reverberation of Narendra Modi’s bold cabinet reshuffle will continue for some time. In one fell swoop, the PM made it clear that he means business and is looking at an extended mandate for himself and his party. 

This cleaning exercise can be looked upon with that intent, where Modi has essentially sent out a stern message about the kind of ministers he is looking for inside the cabinet. It is also an exercise in damage control, of trying to do away with the notion of the government being anti-Dalit, anti-talent while accepting the reality that a chunk of voters who propelled Modi to the hot seat have "moved away" from it in the last two years. All in all, an astute move by the master tactician, ably guided and supported by the party, led by Amit Shah. 

Let’s look at some of the big messages from the reshuffle. 

More work, less talk

After ascending to the PM’s post, Modi has tried to project the image of a karmayogi. A function of genuine earnestness for work, aided with carefully crafted PR. Few probably doubt that the PM is trying his best, irrespective of the end result those efforts achieve. The PM wants his team to imbibe that message. Some have, especially the likes of Sushma Swaraj and Prakash Javadekar, Piyush Goyal to name a few. But a few, like Smriti Irani, VK Singh and Ramshankar Katheria, kept themselves busy with poll rhetoric long after the war paints had faded. Occasional jibes and clever rebuttals are okay, but not unnecessary controversy and hostility— this seems to be the big message. 

Ram Shankar Katheria got the boot, VK Singh has been stripped off his independent MOS charge in Statistics Ministry but the most high profile demotion has been that of Smriti Irani. Irani’s was, perhaps, one that was expected but still the most shocking one. For a long time, the media had speculated on this departure. The JNU row, Rohith Vemula’s suicide, the IIT Madras fiasco, the Sanskrit in KV school faux pas were among the several issues that had made headlines and proven to be an embarrassment to the government. Yet, there was a belief that Smriti would survive the storm with her fire power. But PM Modi clearly looked at the bigger picture and enforced the demotion. Textile isn’t a minor ministry and Irani can still be a critical member of Modi’s key team, provided she delivers. 

Subramanian Swamy never really had a chance after Modi’s rap on the knuckles post Rexit. But this is also a reminder to him that the path towards moving up BJP's echelons is through toeing the party line and adding value to it and not as a flashy maverick with a destructive tendency to kick own goals. 

Some senior ministers may have survived a close shave this time around, yet this reshuffle will send an ominous message to them too. 

Getting the caste arithmetic right and rewarding allegiance

What probably made Amit Shah and Modi anxious was the increasing perception of the government being anti-Dalit in the wake of Rohith Vemula's suicide. The charges of ‘institutional murder’ seem to have stuck somewhat and an urgent course correction was made necessary. Also, with UP elections on the anvil, Modi and Shah decided to go for a more inclusive cabinet. Hence the likes of Jaswant Sinh Bhabhor, Faggan Singh Kulaste, Ajay Tamta, Ramdas Athalwale, Arjun Ram Meghwal, Ramesh Jigajinagi , Krishna Raj, Anupriya Patel have been inducted. Some are politically key appointments for states like Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat. Others made the cut because of their long, silent service to the party. The leaders who have slowly carved their niche and kept the flag of the party high have been rewarded. This is perhaps a throwback to Modi’s own political journey also. 

The right people for the right job

The perceived lack of talent in the treasury benches have long been a grouse of the naysayers of the Modi government. They say many of the leaders are out of their depth and not heavy hitters who can implement Modi’s ambitious policies. The induction of MJ Akbar (former journalist as MoS in MEA), PP Chaudhury (SC lawyer as MoS in Law & Justice), Anil Madhav Dave (active in Narmada river conservation, now Independent charge MoS of Forest and Climate change, Environment), to name a few, shows that the government is looking to get the right people for the right job to expedite the process of governance. 

Moving up Prakash Javadekar to HRD and shifting Jayant Sinha (perceived as a proactive minister) to Civil Aviation can also be interpreted along similar lines.

RSS shadow still looms large

Many believed that an imposing mandate will give Modi some room to manoeuvre away from Nagpur’s overbearing influence and frame policy independently. Modi, in pursuing the economic policy, has defied the Swadeshi line by allowing more FDI. But when it comes to RSS's pet projects (HRD, Ganga conservation etc) he is yet to break ranks. Hence, the HRD ministry is now with Prakash Javadekar, an old RSS hand. 

Many of the leaders are veterans who have been part of the Sangh for a long time and will presumably try to fulfil their vision even in the cabinet. In that sense, Modi hasn’t gone out of his way to include any ‘inspired choices’ except MJ Akbar. He has fallen back on people who he can trust and who will toe the given line silently, without creating a media circus. How much of this tinkering will finally bear fruit is for the future to tell. But, for now, Modi has tried to train the focus of the government sharply back on governance. PM Modi in one of his interviews recently said that his biggest regret is not winning over his critics. Looks  like he has made one last ditch effort to achieve it.