The stress on performance in Sunday’s Cabinet reshuffle is matched by the BJP’s growing confidence in winning elections without its allies and constantly worrying about caste considerations.
Not only have the allies such as the Shiv Sena, the Janata Dal (United) and the AIADMK been passed up, the BJP has shown very little concern for the expansion of its social base in poll-bound States such as Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh from where not a single representative was picked for the Cabinet.
Also, the induction of four bureaucrats — India’s former ambassador to the UN Hardeep Puri, the “demolition man” of Delhi and former Delhi Development Authority (DDA) Chairman KJ Alphons, former Mumbai Police Commissioner Satya Pal Singh and former Home Secretary RK Singh — two of whom are not even members of any of the Houses — shows how little aspirations within the party matter to BJP President Amit Shah, whose role in the rejig was critical.
While within the BJP, carping about the Prime Minister and Shah not being able to find enough suitable candidates from among the 337 Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs to be inducted in the Cabinet was totally muted, allies were not so circumspect.
Shiv Sena peeved The Shiv Sena complained bitterly on being ignored and said the National Democratic Alliance was “almost dead”.
“The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance exists only on paper. Whenever the BJP wants support like in Presidential election or in Parliament, we are remembered,” said Sena MP Sanjay Raut.
“The NDA is almost dead. It is restricted to only meetings of allied parties,” Raut said.
“We are not hungry for a portfolio or power. The reshuffle is a game of figures for political reasons and we will take an appropriate stand at a right time.”
Meanwhile, the Janata Dal (United), which had clearly been hoping to get at least two berths, even if as junior ministers, in the Cabinet, was left claiming that “no such thing was discussed”.
The JD(U) chief and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who recently ditched the Grand Alliance of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress, to join hands with the BJP, was openly mocked at by RJD leader Lalu Prasad.
Lalu’s taunt Lalu said Nitish Kumar’s MPs were left “all dressed up and nowhere to go”.
“Some of them had even got new kurta-pyjama and bundi stitched for the swearing-in ceremony but the elusive invitation did not come,” he said.