Amid dip in the second wave of the covid-19 pandemic the Prime Minister choosing to drop Harsh Vardhan from his cabinet is though in the eyes of many political observers his abortive attempt to silence the critics of his government over the working of covid control strategy pursued by the health ministry under the leadership of Harsh Vardhan, but the reshuffle has to do more with the poll strategy of the party ruling at the centre for the upcoming state assembly elections and the government’s policy on restoration of popular rule in Jammu & Kashmir . Since cabinet decisions are taken collectively by the cabinet but not by Prime Minister or a particular minister in isolation, it is not fair to blame either only the Prime Minister or the Health Minister in isolation for the failure of the covid control strategy but the entire cabinet is to be blamed and credited for the successes and the achievements of the government, be it covid control strategy or any other issue concerning welfare of the people. Since the reshuffle has come at a time when assembly elections to many key states including Utter Pradesh are just few months away, many political observers in contrast to views of many of their contemporaries across the country attribute the central cabinet’s reshuffle to BJP’s poll strategies for the upcoming state assembly elections and very rightly so. Interestingly the cabinet reshuffle has come shortly after Prime Minister’s maiden meet with Jammu & Kashmir mainstream leaders post August 5, 2019 constitutional moves on erstwhile J&K state and four day visit of the J&K delimitation panel to Srinagar and Jammu for knowing the stands of mainstream parties and views of civil society groups over the ongoing delimitation process.
While the newly inducted ministers would remain concerned about their own future as union ministers, the J&K leaders have to take it for sure that central government won’t go by their whims and wishes but would instead carry forward it’s own agenda in restoring popular rule in Jammu & Kashmir.
So while the reshuffle at the centre is an attempt to convey it to the people of the country that government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi believes in zero tolerance against the non performers and non performers have to face action even if they hold the key portfolios in the central cabinet , the outcome of the Prime Minister’s meeting followed by the recent visit of the J&K delimitation commission to Srinagar and Jammu is an attempt to convey it unambiguously to the people the country that central government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi would go according to it’s own plan of action in restoration of popular rule in Jammu & Kashmir and fulfillment of promises made by Prime Minister to the people of Jammu & Kashmir without taking any lenient view on the constitutional decisions taken on August 5, 2019 over erstwhile Jammu & Kashmir state in consonance with the demands of the leaders of J&K’s regional political parties . So while the newly inducted ministers would remain concerned about their own future as union ministers, the J&K leaders have to take it for sure that central government won’t go by their whims and wishes but would instead carry forward it’s own agenda in restoring popular rule in Jammu & Kashmir.
