oppn parties Expanding The Council Of Ministers

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  • Allahabad HC said that the UP Police is acting as law unto themselves as they detained a person unlawfully even before his arrest
  • Kolkata witnesses traffic snarls on the first day of the Durga Puja festival as revellers start pnadal-hopping
  • Neha Bora was subsequently released and Dipke is to appear before a magistrate today at noon
  • Delhi Police detained Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke, Neha Bora of AISA, student leaders and supporters ahead of a rally in Connaught Place demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation. The protest followed the detention and jailing of two CJP leaders earlier in the week over demonstrations at Jantar Mantar
  • The Reserve Bank of India is considering further monetary tightening to counter capital outflows and increase the cost of betting against the rupee, according to bankers and analysts cited by Reuters. The measures follow recent rate increases and steps to drain liquidity as pressure on the currency and inflation concerns persist
  • India directed oil marketing companies to stop diverting sugar-based feedstocks for ethanol production in the 2026–27 supply year, according to a new tender issued on Friday. The companies have invited bids for 11 billion litres of ethanol made from alternatives including corn and broken rice, amid concerns about domestic sugar supplies and prices
  • Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said India's trade imbalance with China was growing sharply and attributed the problem partly to restrictions on Indian goods and services entering the Chinese market. China subsequently said it was ready to work with India to address mutual economic and trade concerns; India's trade deficit with China reached $69 billion in the first half of FY2026–27, up 27% year-on-year
  • Indian equity benchmarks extended their recovery on Friday, with the Sensex rising 413.66 points to close at 74,729.27 and the Nifty 50 gaining 148.80 points to settle at 23,146.15. Information technology shares, including Tech Mahindra, Infosys and TCS, helped lift the indices
  • India defeated Zimbabwe by four wickets in the opening women's T20 International in Raipur, taking a 1–0 lead in the three-match series. Deepti Sharma and Niki Prasad combined in an 82-run stand after India's top order collapsed, helping the hosts chase down Zimbabwe's total of 114 for five
  • Indian wrestler Komal won bronze in the women's 59 kg category at the Under-23 World Wrestling Championships in Las Vegas, defeating Kazakhstan's Viktoriia Khusainova 7–2. Fellow Indian Amruta Pujari advanced to the women's 72 kg final after recording two pinfall victories
  • Indian shuttler Jagsher Singh Khangurra secured a bronze medal at the BWF World Junior Badminton Championships in Cairo
  • The Supreme Court of India upheld the Bombay High Court's decision quashing the 2020 write-off of ₹8,415 crore in additional tier-1 bonds issued by Yes Bank (Yes Bank). The court ruled that the bank's administrator lacked the authority to extinguish the bonds under the final reconstruction scheme, strengthening bondholders' claims
  • The Supreme Court issued notices to the Election Commission of India, Delhi Police and opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav, in separate petitions concerning electoral-roll revision and protests held in Delhi on October 10–12. The court also directed the preservation of CCTV footage linked to allegations of police excesses
  • The Supreme Court ruled that a person converting from Hinduism to Islam cannot automatically claim backward-class reservation benefits in the new religious community solely on the basis of their previous caste status. The judgment upheld the Madras High Court's decision striking down a 2024 Tamil Nadu government order that permitted such certification for specified communities
  • The Election Commission of India ordered a Special Summary Revision of electoral rolls in 14 states and three Union Territories, using January 1, 2027, as the qualifying date for voter eligibility. The draft rolls are scheduled for publication on November 12, claims and objections will be accepted until December 11, and the final rolls are due on January 4, 2027
Delhi HC refuses to ban CJP's Tiranga rally at Central Park in Connaught Place today /////// Police says will control and regulate it /////// NDMC closes the park for the public on Friday and Saturday
oppn parties
Expanding The Council Of Ministers

By Sunil Garodia
First publised on 2021-07-06 11:41:30

About the Author

Sunil Garodia Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator. Author of Cyber Scams in India, Digital Arrest, The Money Trap and The Human Hack

The buzz about an imminent expansion and reshuffle of the Union council of ministers grows by the day. There are all indications that Prime Minister Modi will induct new faces, drop some laggards and change the ministries of others. This is necessary as the term of the government is already close to the half way mark. Further, the size of the cabinet is much smaller than allowed under the rules. Many ministers are handling multiple portfolios which obviously negatively impacts performance, more so in the times of the pandemic. Further, there are many aspiring candidates in the BJP and some old and new allies have to be accommodated. The delay is causing uncertainty as work comes to a standstill when ministers are not sure of their position.

Since apart from PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah (and maybe BJP chief J P Nadda and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat) not many are privy to the decision making process, the only signals come from related activities. Like, for instance, when the investigating agencies are handed out a list of potential candidates for background check and when party leaders and allies start lobbying. Other storng indications are crucial think tank meetings, one of which is being held today at the PM's residence. The big signal came today when several new governors were appointed and existing ones were transferred. The government has to strike regional and caste balance in the cabinet and gubernatorial appointments help in removing some leaders who might have lost out.

The buzz is also strong about a BJP-Shiv Sena patch up in Maharashtra and observers say that it is one of the reasons why the cabinet expansion is being kept on hold. It was rumoured that since the Sena was insisting on holding on to the chief minister's chair, Devendra Fadnavis was being sounded out for a cabinet berth.  But things do not seem to have worked out as yet. Sarbanand Sonowal, replaced as chief minister of Assam by Himata Biswa Sarma, will definitely become a cabinet minister. Jyotiraditya Scindia is likely to get a berth. The JD(U) is also likely to get a berth and it is possible that Pashupati Kumar Paras of the divided LJP might get late Ram Bilas Paswan's seat.

The Prime Minister must induct a cabinet of full strength and allot one ministry to one person. The political, regional and caste considerations have to be looked into and the alliance dharma has to be maintained but if possible, some former bureaucrats, technocrats and experts, even if they are not in any of the political parties that make up the NDA, must also be inducted. It is often seen that policies are implemented faster and better when ministers are not restricted by the narrow and inbuilt political view of things. S Jaishankar as the Minister of External Affairs is an example of that. The cabinet needs more such persons. 

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