Should the Prime Minister have waited for six months to induct into his Ministry novices who owe their positions to considerations other than merit? In the end, >the exercise of expansion evoked a sense of déjà vu — Mr. Modi has followed the UPA’s formula in forming his team by balancing caste and regional equations within the party, apart from keeping an eye out for his party’s electoral prospects in the election-bound States. Anyone can be forgiven for suspecting that there is an acute shortage of talent in the party to fill key posts. Since maximum governance will remain empty rhetoric, the Prime Minister should at least advise the new Ministers to either perform or quit, notwithstanding their utility in enhancing electoral prospects. There should have been a lateral entry route into the Ministry for talented people.
V.N. Mukundarajan ,
Thiruvananthapuram
Mr. Modi appears to have realised finally that for good governance one needs people and that a country like India which has many complexities cannot be governed with 40-odd people at the Centre. “Less government, more governance” seems to be a hollow election slogan. Mr. Modi also realises that it is not easy to find people who are talented as also loyal to him. A close look at the Ministers inducted shows that there are contradictions; not all of them are “clean” as well.
Amit Bhandari ,
New Delhi
“Minimum government, Maximum governance” appears to be a marketing slogan similar to those used by Mr. Modi during his election campaigns. On the contrary, the electronic media appear to be practising “Minimum news, Maximum propaganda” for the NDA government by not covering issues such as some controversial and tainted members being appointed as Ministers.
Richard Jonathan J.,
Meignanapuram, Tamil Nadu
The expansion is a sign that development is apace. The decision to include leaders from all castes is but a testimony to the government’s principles of secularism and equality.
S. Bindu Sravya ,
Visakhapatnam
