PM summons Council of Ministers' meet
Modi Ministers keeping fingers crossed
Major shake-up in party, Raj Bhawans too
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has summoned a meeting of his 75-member strong Council of Ministers this weekend before the Budget session of Parliament begins on January 31. The buzz in the South Block is that this may be the last meeting of the present Council of Ministers before a major shakeup. The appointment of new governors and Lt. Governors in many states and changes in the BJP may also take place simultaneously.
Sources say that Modi has summoned this meeting to give pep talk to his ministerial colleagues signalling major reshuffle in team-Modi before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Obviously, the PM is giving final touches to his new “war team” and under performers may be shown the door.
No agenda of the Council of Ministers’ meeting has been circulated and nothing has been conveyed to the ministers either. However, Modi had told his ministers a couple of months ago that their performance was being closely watched and may question them on meeting targets.
The fact that the BJP leadership has increased the number of vulnerable Lok Sabha seats from 144 to 170 after extensive surveys indicates weakness in crucial states like Maharashtra, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Chhattisgarh and a couple of other states. The fact that former Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh who is now Vice President of the BJP was deputed to hoist tricolour this Republic Day at the party headquarters gives a clue of how the pendulum is shifting.
There is a strong buzz that former Chief Minister of Punjab Capt. Amrinder Singh may be sent to Maharashtra as Governor in place of Bhagat Singh Koshiyari. However, sources say he may not be sent to a crucial state at this juncture and the party may be using his services to reap the harvest in Punjab to win Lok Sabha seats.
