This refers to A K Bhattacharya's column "Takeaways from the reshuffle" (New Delhi Diary, November 12). The Narendra Modi government began with the dictum of "minimum government and maximum governance", but the Cabinet expansion announced on Sunday takes away the concept of minimum government. On the other hand, we are yet to experience maximum governance.
While there is nothing wrong in installing a jumbo Cabinet, Modi need not have coloured his policy to have "minimum government" when he took over in May this year. A nation of India's size definitely needs a big administration at the Centre. While the writer has complimented Modi for opting for fewer ministers of state, the prime minister could have done away with these ministers and instead chosen more ministers with independent charge. The efficiency and effectiveness of the team counts with optimum co-ordination among ministries for better governance. The political base continues to dominate the new ministry with less technocrats and more politicians. Even Modi has not been able to resist the pressure from the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh to include political loyalists. Meanwhile, the allies have been kept at a safe distance and have become mere on-lookers wondering about their role in the new dispensation.
K V Rao Bengaluru
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