Top four ministers in Modi government
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assigned portfolios of his ministers. The top four ministries throw an element of surprise in terms of Amit Shah getting Home Ministry and not the Finance Ministry which was being widely speculated in the media. Rajnath Singh has been assigned Defence Ministry, while Nirmala Sitharaman gets the Finance Ministry.
Home Minister Amit Shah
Amit Shah who seems to have fashioned his career on the lines of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel—India’s first Home Minister—has now occupied number 2 position in Modi government.
Important issues close to his heart—the scrapping of Article 370 and Article 35A of the Indian Constitution, Ram Temple, passing of Citizenship (amendment) Bill, and Zero tolerance to terrorism—will get his utmost attention as they all come under the purview of his ministry.
Earlier, Amit Shah was Minister of Home in Gujarat government. Now after propping BJP to a strong position, he wields the clout and experience to handle sensitive issues that would require engagement with a lot of concerned stakeholders. As per the party sources, Amit Shah is expected to take head on the “politically motivated” cases in terror-related cases. Experts opine that Tamil Nadu is going to be his priority especially after the recent terror blast in Sri Lanka. The terror networks active in Sri Lanka may try to find a way through Tamil Nadu, and strong decisions would need to be taken on this front.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh
Rajnath Singh occupies the ministry vacated by Nirmala Sitharaman. Some may be tempted to term it a demotion but considering the challenges the Defence Ministry faces—modernisation, cutting down on unwanted expenses, defence reforms—someone like Rajnath Singh with the experience of heading Home Ministry in Modi government, is best suited to bring about the desired changes.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman
Former JNU student, she became first full-time woman defence minister of India in Modi government’s first tenure. She is not new to finance as she had earlier handled the Minister of State portfolio in the Ministry of Finance. Now, she has been entrusted with the task to steer India’s next course of economic reforms. The economy has already shown signs of stress and staring at a possible slowdown.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar
Former foreign secretary S Jaishankar has been given charge of the External Affairs Ministry. The former US Ambassador has been one of the most respected diplomats in the Modi government and known to be in tandem with the policies and vision of PM Modi. He is known to have effectively steered Modi governments agenda across the world.
First published: 31 May 2019, 16:01 IST