NEW DELHI: Even as the Modi govt signalled continuity in governance by retaining key ministers and officials in its third term, it is also waking up to the new reality of giving due space to allies. This is reflected in two recent moves when all five
Cabinet ministers
from its
allies
were made “special invitees” in the reconstituted
Niti Aayog
and also members of the cabinet committees.
The comparison of the newly
reconstituted
Niti Aayog with the earlier one in Sept 2021 shows that while earlier there were ministers only from the BJP and there were five special invitees, this time there are 11 ministers in the
special invitees
category, which included five ministers from TDP, JD(U), JD (S), LJP (Ram Vilas) and Hindustan Awam Morcha. To make space for them, the govt has dropped two sitting BJP ministers in the apex governing body.
Even in June 2019 when the Niti Aayog was reconstituted, it had only four special invitees and all of them were BJP ministers, despite the presence of Ram Vilas Paswan and Harsimrat Kaur Badal, alliance partners of the govt, in the Cabinet.
TOI has also learnt that even the personnel department has“informally” shared a list of 3-4 officers from which ministers could choose their private secretaries.
Sources said all top ministers have also been advised to learn from each other in the
coalition govt
in one of the recent Cabinet meetings. They added that the change in approach is evident from the BJP mooting the idea of an NDA panel of spokespersons before the next Parliament session and training them to speak in one voice.
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