With six days to go for Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi to take oath as the country’s top executive officer, he is quietly working on his plan to give shape to the Union Council of Ministers.
Senior leader Rajnath Singh is likely to get the all-important Home Ministry, while Murli Manohar Joshi may be given charge of the Defence Ministry. Sources indicated that senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley could be given the responsibility of the Finance Ministry, while Sushma Swaraj may get charge of Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry. The name of senior leader from Jharkhand Karia Munda is also doing the rounds for the post of Lok Sabha Speaker, sources said.
So far, Mr. Modi has kept his cards close to his chest. Party leaders familiar with his style of functioning say he is a patient listener, quick at grasping things and often comes up with his own ‘out- of-the-box’ solution on issues. “There has been so much speculation on ministerial berths but frankly nobody knows about Mr. Modi’s thinking or who will get what,’’ said a senior leader.
Another senior party leader who has watched Mr. Modi closely over the past several years said the new ministries would get time-bound goals and targets to work on. “Mr. Modi believes in working constantly and consistently and packs in nearly 18 hours a day of work,” he said.
The Prime Minister-elect gave a glimpse of his thinking in his address in the Central Hall of Parliament soon after the BJP Parliamentary Party unanimously elected him as its leader on Tuesday.
“We are here not for posts but to represent the aspirations of 125 crore people. Fulfilling my responsibility is the main thing,” he told the party members. He promised to usher in an era of responsibility and accountability. “An era of responsibility has begun. When we meet in 2019, I will give you and my countrymen a report card ... I will live for India.’’
