The Congress and the Bahujan Samaj Party have described the cabinet expansion as a “vote-garnering” venture aimed at election-going states, while the Samajwadi Party said it was a futile exercise, stressing that the BJP’s 71 MPs in Uttar Pradesh had little to show for themselves.
The Congress’s communication chief, Randeep Surjewala told journalists that the choice of new ministers was “a panic reaction against the BJP’s declining politicalgraph” in U.P., Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat. The exercise reflected a “devaluation of government and deficit of talent and experience in the BJP,” he said, adding, “Team Modi has become a collection of courtiers, sycophants, non-performers and hate mongers.”
He also said the cabinet expansion sent out the message that those propagating the agenda of division and deception would be protected: “Had this not been true, the Prime Minister would have taken action against ministers like Smriti Irani, Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, Gen V.K. Singh, Giriraj Singh, Sanjiv Baliyan, Mahesh Sharma…All these ministers are acting with complete knowledge and complicity of the Prime Minister,” Mr. Surjewala stressed.
Taking a swipe at the government, the Congress spokesperson wondered what would happen to Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy, whom he described as “the Finance Minister-in-waiting” as the former, a known detractor of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, does not figure in the exercise.
The cabinet expansion, Mr Surjewala emphasised, was aimed at election-going states rather than at “improving the lives of 125 crore Indians or providing a government dedicated to the cause of solving their problems”.
Allies ignored
Faulting the Prime Minister for “completely ignoring” NDA allies, he said the entire exercise was aimed at propagating Mr Modi as a larger than life figure.
Meanwhile, the BSP, without explicitly mentioning the emphasis on social engineering in the ministerial expansion, described the effort as a way of hiding the NDA government’s disregard for the poor, OBCs, Dalits, farmers, labourers and Muslims. Former U.P. chief minister Mayawati said the elevation of a handful of leaders from weaker sections would not help to “socially and economically uplift” the masses of these communities.
Stressing the BJP’s tilt towards big corporates, she cited the recent waiver of a Rs 200 crore fine on “one of Mr. Modi’s favourite companies,” the Adani Group imposed by the Environment Ministry.
Deluded process
The SP also steered clear of mentioning the social and caste composition of the new entrants in Mr Modi's council of ministers: “If the BJP feels that by shuffling a few faces it can mislead the people, then it is deluding itself. The people want accountability of the promises made to them in the Lok Sabha elections,” SP spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary said.
With the SP’s gaze firmly on the upcoming U.P. polls, he added, “The BJP has spent its two years in jumlabaazi while in U.P., under the leadership of Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav many concrete public welfare schemes have been implemented providing benefit to all sections of the society.”