Elevation for few ministers in Modi's Cabinet reshuffle, Parikkar likely to get Defence

New Delhi: Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who is tipped to be the new defence minister, replacing Arun Jaitley who now holds it as an additional charge, called a meeting of BJP MLAs in Goa to discuss the situation and a possible successor.

While Mr Parrikar refused to either confirm or deny his joining the Union Cabinet, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met President Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday at Rashtrapati Bhavan amid reports that the Cabinet expansion would take place on Sunday.

“I will comment only after some official announcement is made. Let the announcement come. That time I will reply to you,” Mr Parrikar told the media in Goa. He has made it clear, however, that he “will follow the commands” of the PM.

A few who are junior ministers with independent charge, such as Nirmala Sitharaman and Prakash Javadekar, may even be elevated to Cabinet rank.

Ms Sitharaman, who is now MoS (independent charge) of commerce, may be elevated to the Cabinet, and a junior minister put under her.

Read: Bandaru Dattatreya, Sujana Chowdary expecting berth in Modi's cabinet expansion

Sources said that Hazaribagh MP Jayant Sinha, son of former finance minister Yashwant Sinha, may be inducted as MoS commerce.

Mr Javadekar is likely to be taken off the environment and forests portfolio, while retaining I&B, but looks likely to be promoted to Cabinet rank.

There is some talk that Mr Modi is not too happy with the performance of railway minister D. Sadanand Gowda, and that he may be shifted to a less important ministry. It is also speculated that highways and shipping minister Nitin Gadkari may be asked to head a super ministry for surface transport, comprising highways, shipping and the railways. This fits into Mr Modi’s maxim of “maximum governance, minimum government”. It is also learnt that Ravi Shankar Prasad may retain law and justice, but give up charge of communications.

There are indications of 10 new faces joining the Modi government, with sources hinting the reshuffle-cum-expansion may take place on Sunday afternoon, two days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi leaves on a three-nation 10-day tour. By then, President Pranab Mukherjee will also have returned on Saturday from a trip to Bhutan.

Among the names doing the rounds for induction are Jayant Sinha, Anurag Thakur from Himachal Pradesh, Jat leader from Haryana Birender Singh, Bhumiar leader from Bihar Giriraj Singh or Bhola Singh, Col. Sonaram Chaudhary and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, both from Rajasthan, and Hansraj Ahir from Maharashtra.

Read: Telugu Desam MP may get berth

There was further activity in political circles with TDP leader and Andhra Pradesh CM N. Chandrababu Naidu apparently getting a telephone call from Mr Modi while he was attending the India Economic Summit here.

Asked about the call and the cabinet expansion, Mr Naidu only remarked that everything would be known in a couple of days. Pressed further, he repeated the same answer, but added in a lighter vein: “He is trying to seek information from me; and I am trying to hide information from him”.

There was speculation about Shiv Sena leader and former Union minister Suresh Prabhu, who was already named Mr Modi’s sherpa for the G-20 summit. Mr Prabhu may be appointed head of the new outfit that will replace the Planning Commission and may get Cabinet rank.

There was also talk that a Sena nominee may be brought in as minister of state, but sources said it depended on how the two parties managed to sort out issues between them in Maharashtra.