Manohar Parrikar meets PM Modi, Amit Shah amid big expansion buzz
Speculation is rife that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to go in for an expansion of his Cabinet before he goes on a three-nation tour, including the Asean summit in Myanmar and the G-20 summit in Australia next week. Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar may take over as defence minister and Jayant Sinha, Hazaribagh MP and son of former Union minister Yashwant Sinha, could be made MoS finance. Mr Parrikar met Mr Modi and BJP president Amit Shah on Wednesday amid reports that he may be taken into the Cabinet. After meeting Mr Modi, the Goa CM said: “I have not discussed nor has he discussed anything about that. So as of now, the issue is dead. The news is dead.”
Mr Parrikar said he had sought a meeting with the PM to discuss Goa-related issues Asked if he would continue as chief minister, he said: “Obviously”. Speculation is rife that the expansion may take place by November 9-10.
Union minister Arun Jaitley, who holds the key portfolios of finance and corporate affairs, also holds defence as an additional charge.
Earlier, after he met Mr Shah, when asked about reports that he may be inducted into the Cabinet, Mr Parrikar said: “I can comment on it only after meeting the Prime Minister.” Mr Parrikar, who met Mr Shah at the latter’s residence Wednesday evening, had left for Delhi in the morning after cancelling a state Cabinet meeting that was to take up the issue of mining lease policy.
The names of others who could find a berth in the Modi government include technocrat and former minister Suresh Prabhu, now heading a high-level panel on power revamp in the government, Chandrapur MP Hansraj Ahir, Bhadhoi MP Virendra Singh, who is considered close to the RSS, Nawada MP Giriraj Singh and Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab Avinash Rai Khanna. The TDP could also get a MoS berth.
Other Union ministers with multiple portfolios include Nitin Gadkari, who now has road transport and highways and shipping along with three additional ministries: rural development, panchayati raj, drinking water and sanitation, that were held by the late Gopinath Munde.
Another minister, Ravi Shankar Prasad, has law and justice as well as the communications and information technology portfolios. MoS (independent charge) Prakash Javadekar has information and broadcasting as well as environment; while Nirmala Sitharaman, MoS (independent charge) has commerce and industries, and is also MoS finance and corporate affairs under the finance minister. MoS (independent charge) Piyush Goyal holds the power, coal and new and renewable energy portfolios.