Trouble seems to be in store for the most pro-active minister in the Modi Government, Nitin Gadkari, as one of leading English Daily from New Delhi, it is learnt, is readying a scam report against him and will publish it soon. It is to be remembered that it is the same newspaper, which attacked Gadkari on the e-Rickshaw issue. The expose may include a few other cases too, as Gadkari has become the government’s point-man for controversial Land Acquisition Bill. But it was same Gadkari who had failed to help Air Bus about three-four years back in getting land in Nagpur despite his clout in the city. Following this the company shifted to Bangluru and got the required land for equipment manufacturing plant. When Modi was in France Air Bus announced that now aeroplanes will be manufactured in India. But will that happen? May be carpet for the aeroplane might be manufactured here, may be doors used in aeroplane in the Asia sector manufactured. Thus, despite much talk, it seems peanuts to happen!

A famous builder from Indore is a long and close friend of Sangh leader Sanjay Joshi. It is understood that the Joshi’s builder fiend suggested him to celebrate his birthday this year with all the pomp to register his presence in MODIfied Saffron politics. Soon he took permission from the top leadership of Sangh and shared his wish with close aides. Joshi has old friends in BJP. Once he was considered to be a promoter of Modi in the party and there were many in the Modi’s 2003 Gujarat cabinet, who were loyal only to Joshi. Thus phone calls started going to leaders in different states and soon many hoardings sprang up in different parts of the country. However, interestingly, many of the ministers in the government sent their private secretaries to wish Joshi. Taking note of the incident, it is learnt that Amit Shah summoned ministers like Sripad naik, Sanjeev Baliyan and Sudarshan Bhagat and cautioned them. On this the ministers deflected the incidents to their secretaries. But the result was obvious, as the secretaries lost their jobs, while ministers saved their skin.

HRD minister Smriti Irani appears to have been in trouble from all corners. If luck favours her, she could be the next tourism minister, but otherwise possibilities are there she could be dropped from the government in the next reshuffle. When the foundation of Modi government was laid, she was given the responsibility of drafting a new education policy to suit the ideology of Sangh Parivar. But her weird style of functioning earned her more foes than fiends. She is the first HRD minister, who could speak against a sizeable 30 percent cut in the budgetary allocation to her ministry. Besides Sanjay Kachru, till now altogether four personal secretaries have been changed. During her tenure works could not begin for even a single IIT or IIM and also the new education bill could not see the light of the day. Even nothing was done for teachers training programme. Talk of establishing a teachers service proved futile. Recently about four of the MPs opened a front against her and even joint secretary level officers have written that they would not be able to work with such a minister. So it is difficult for her to survive only on the image of her being close to the prime Minister. Interestingly, even this image is losing its sheen of late.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi may do reshuffle-cum-expansion in his cabinet anytime soon after May 13. For quite some time, a core team of Modi has been busy giving finishing touches to the ministers’ report cards. It is learnt that the Prime Minister is keen to dispel the image of his government victim of inertia. It is possible, thus, that soon after end of Parliament session on May 13th, a big exercise will be carried out to improve the shape and face of the government. Several heavyweight ministers will see their stature being cut to size, several will be shifted to other departments, and several may be eased out of the Cabinet. Making age and work capabilities as a base, some ministers may be relieved for party work. A meeting in this regard between Modi and the Sangh has already taken place. It is believed that the Sangh leadership has made it clear that effecting changes in the cabinet is the prerogative of the Prime minister. However, the Sangh leadership wants to have HRD minister of their choice. This means that preparations are on to change Smriti Irani’s department; there is speculation that a heavyweight favoured by the Sangh, Rajnath Singh for instance, will be given the responsibility. If that happens, Arun Jaitley may be given home ministry. In any case, speculation has also been rife for the past several days that the prime minister wants to give finance ministry to someone who is his confidante to further speed up economic reforms.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed may have put speculations to rest about his daughter Mehbooba Mufti getting a seat in the Modi ministry by saying, “Mehbooba will not become a minister at the Centre”. But sources reveal that internal talks between the BJP and PDP are still on, and the matter is hanging only on the question of “Cabinet” or “Independent Charge”. While the PDP is asking for a Cabinet minister’s post, under Amit Shah’s leadership, the BJP is offering the post of Minister of State, Independent Charge.

During the National Working Committee’s meeting at Bangalore, BJP duo Modi-Shah managed to put it across to party leaders and workers that the party and the government are on the same wavelength. Additionally, the party’s guidance committee (margdarshak mandal) has now become more of a darshak mandal, that is, audience committee. It was probably the first time in BJP veteran leader Lal Krishna Advani’s political journey that he got off at the Bangalore airport and there was no one to receive him. To receive Advani at the airport, the BJP had put on duty a local Assembly leader from the state, who disappeared somewhere at the last moment. Advani somehow reached the venue Hotel Lalit, and when he expressed a wish to be seated next to Modi on the podium, he was politely refused. Again, while Modi and Shah were welcomed with a shawl and a bouquet of flowers, Advani had to remain content with just a bouquet; the party did not felicitate him with a garland or a shawl. Several veteran leaders were seen making enquiries and asking for information about the programme schedule, but no one knew anything. Those who knew, knew everything; they also knew why things had changed so drastically.

There was a bookstall at the event area of the BJP’s National Working Committee meeting in Bangalore, which had books from Swami Vivekananda, Raman Maharishi, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa to Nelson Mandela and Adolf Hitler. When a young leader went to the bookstall, he found one book that was most visible at the stall – it was Adolf Hitler’s autobiography Mein Kampf; it was placed along three entire rows. When the politician wanted to know the reason for this from the stall person, he said, “This is the book that is selling the most here.” Is the BJP really that impressed by Adolf Hitler’s ideas? Or is it that Hitler has emerged as the party’s new pathfinders?

Taking a leaf out of their leader’s working style, some of the ministers in Modi’s Cabinet are also trying to do things differently. For instance, last week, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi received a sudden call from the prime minister, and he was directed to go to Jammu and Kashmir. He wanted Naqvi to study the immensity of floods in the valley and present a report to him. Naqvi took a hurried flight to Srinagar. He first went to Baramulla, and then stopped his car at the main road and started walking. People were impressed that a minister from the Central government was walking alongside them leaving all security and safety measures. People met and greeted him and were telling him about their troubles. Naqvi repeated the drill in Lal Chowk and Jhelum as well. In Lal Chowk, even the shopkeepers joined Naqvi during his walk and the local people were heard saying that it was for the first time in 20 years that a minister had walked up to meet them. Now they want that the state’s ruling coalition PDP-BJP government should follow the example.

The government’s problem solvers have pulled up their socks to resolve the Land Bill controversy. Those who are upset are being pacified and new friendships are taking shape. Modi government seems to have made up its mind to get the Land Bill passed in the Rajya Sabha. Sharad Pawar and his party have been made to see reason, and Pawar is now singing the same tune as the saffron party regarding the Land Bill. Mamata Banerjee has presented a long list of amendments to the bill to BJP managers; of these, it won’t be possible for the BJP to agree to some, and exercises are on to make Didi see the other point of view on this. Positive indications are also being perceived from Mulayam and the SP. Mulayam has assured the saffron strategists that the Janata family will adopt the same strategy about the Land Bill as it had for the Coal and Insurance Bills. The BSP has also agreed to stage a walkout. Only the Congress and the CPM is stubbornly sticking to its stand and is opposing the bill with all their might. The BJP is not keen on passing the bill during the Parliament’s joint session because constitutionally, a joint session of both houses is summoned only if the bill fails to pass in the Parliament. Under those circumstances, the bill is then sent to a select committee, something that the BJP doesn’t want under any circumstances.

Having failed to identify the changing colours of different faces, AAP’s chief Arvind Kejriwal has now started to change his own means and ways. A source close to him has claimed that now Kejriwal is preparing to bring his wife Sunita into active politics. As is known, Sunita is a senior officer in Indian Revenue Services. In coming years, AAP is expected to get three Rajya Sabha seats. Kejriwal may bring his wife on one of these seats. In this direction Sunita is expected to resign from her present post and take up primary membership of the party.