CABINET RESHUFFLE: ONE STEP FORWARD, TWO BACKWARDS

HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar 

Mukesh Chandra Devrari

The recent reshuffle in the cabinet by the union government shows that BJP has no vision and strategy to deal with challenges faced by nation. When BJP government came to the power in 2014, the most shocking appointment came in the form of Smriti Irani as Human Resource Minister. Since then there was unrest in the academic community.

It was an amazing fall as a nation to have television actress Irani as HRD Minister after having eminent lawyer like Kapil Sibbal for many years on the same position. Even during the previous NDA regime Murli Manohar Joshi was appointed as HRD minister.

Finally Smriti Irani lost her position after poorly handling the Rohit Vemula case and other issues. In her short stint she proved to be arrogant, overconfident and someone who has only contempt for intellectuals. She was rewarded with the berth in union cabinet for strongly supporting Narendra Modi over the years.

Her case must teach a lesson to Modi government that at least a minimal consideration should be given to the merit while appointing minsiters. Making appointments on weak considerations will ruin the system and prospects for the party.

Modi should be lauded for removing Smirit Irani. But she will be replaced by the Prakash Javadekar, who is also known for his enchantment for private industrialists.

BJP took this one decision forward, but also took two backwards by giving place to Ajay Tamta in the union cabinet who hails from Uttarakhand. This cabinet reshuffle also proved that BJP is reacting to political maneuvering of the congress party in Uttarakhand.

Congress Chief Minister Harish Rawat conspired against his own party chief Kishore Upadhyay. He scuttled his claims to Rajya Sabha Harish brought the name of his protégé Pradeep Tamta who also belongs to Kumaon region.
Earlier also to counter the popularity of Congress in Kumaon region of Uttarakhand, BJP appointed Ajay Bhatt as state president of BJP. Both these decision show that BJP top brass has no idea how to deal with Harish Rawat and his political master strokes. BJP is only reacting to his politicking. 

 The decision to send Dalit leader Pradeep Tamta to Upper House by Chief Minister Harish Rawat led to the conflict within the congress party. If BJP thinks that providing berth in the Union cabinet to Ajay Tamta will counter the popularity of Congress among Dalits and convince Dalit voters in Uttarakhand to vote for BJP, then BJP strategists cannot be more off the mark in their calculations on this issue.

 Uttarakhand has 18 percent Dalit population. Most of this population lives in plains. Ajay Tamta was elected to parliament in 2014 general elections from the Almora seat as people were highly dissatisfied with the UPA government. False promises and propaganda by corporate media convinced voters that change is needed as congress has failed in delivering results and India has come to standstill.

BJP policy makers must keep in mind, unlike other states of India, more than half population of Uttarakhand is upper caste. It is generally considered that upper castes have natural affinity and sympathy for nationalist ideas. BJP has risked the alienation of its traditional support base by it’s over enthusiastic attempts to attract newer followers.   

 Upper castes may not vote to BJP in Uttarakhand legislative assembly elections due to some narrow regional consideration, but they generally like to align themselves with the issues raised by nationalist forces. The messages and issues raised by right wing forces in India resonate well with the upper castes in Uttarakhand.

So, rather than reacting to political exigencies as they were manufactured by Chief Minister Harish Rawat in Uttarakhand, BJP must base its political strategy on its natural strength and stick to one agenda of development and progress for all. Only that can ensure victory to BJP in coming legislative assembly elections.

As the legislative assembly elections are only a few months away, it is too late for BJP to rectify its blunders. In the present circumstances, Harish Rawat may once again become the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand.   
end. 

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