This refers to T N Ninan's column "Draft the CMs" (Weekend Ruminations, June 7). That three weeks after the election results defence remains an additional charge of the finance minister, with no full-time minister to handle such an important portfolio, is a telling commentary on the dearth of acceptable talent in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The self-imposed constraints on the selection of ministers warrant a re-visit. While Narendra Modi may have valid reasons (other than the age factor) for excluding veterans such as L K Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, it is hard to explain how a competent person like Arun Shourie could be ignored on grounds of being an "outsider". Why should being a son/daughter of a politician be a disqualification? The only thing that ought to matter is what a candidate brings to the table in terms of his qualifications, experience and vision. In this context, the instance of the Harvard-educated Jayant Sinha, son of former BJP minister Yashwant Sinha, with his formidable track record, comes readily to mind.
While Modi's hands-on approach is welcome, his style of functioning may need some fine-tuning. What yielded results in Gujarat may not quite work at the Centre with its awesome responsibilities. Modi should ensure that the authority of his ministerial colleagues is not undermined. Issuing diktats like a school headmaster may not be the best way of going about it. Such a cramping style could, in fact, deter BJP chief ministers of proven competence from moving to the Centre, however sound the logic may be behind the writer's call to draft such talent.
Parthasarathy Chaganty Mumbai
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