2 Rajasthanis may get Cabinet berth

Among the probable names shortlisted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for Cabinet reshuffle tomorrow, two could be from Rajasthan. Bureaucrat turned politician Arjun Ram Meghwal, who is currently the party’s chief whip in the Lok Sabha, is sure to get a berth in the reshuffle along with P.P. Choudhary, Lok Sabha MP from Pali.

Arjun Ram Meghwal, Dalit MP from Bikaner, will replace another Dalit but controversial minister of state for Panchayati Raj, Nihal Chand Meghwal, who managed to survive in the previous reshuffle despite being named by a woman in a rape case.

Rajasthan Jat Mahasabha has come out in support of water resources minister, Sanwar Lal Jat. Reacting to the rumours that he could be dropped from the union council of ministers, Rajasthan Jat Mahasabha has written letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah, a copy of which has been sent to Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje as well.

In the letter, Rajaram Meel, president of the Jat Mahasabha, said that if Mr Jat is dropped then he should be replaced by another member of the Jat community. Meel said that PP Choudhary, who is being tipped to become minister in place of Sanwar Lal, does not belong to the Jat community.

“Jat community plays a decisive role in 18 out of 33 districts with 20 to 40 per cent electorates. Currently there are seven Jat MPs in the Lok Sabha but only one was made minister, that too of state rank. Now we are hearing that even he could be dropped. If Jat community is being overlooked under your leadership, then it would not support BJP anymore. Therefore, we request you to induct at least one member of the community as cabinet minister,” Meel wrote in his letters.

However, it seems Sanwar Lal Jat may skip the axe contrary to earlier speculations. There were rumours that he could be dropped because of poor health and replaced by another person from his community.

Among the new faces, Arjun Ram Meghwal is a former IAS officer who took VRS to contest the last Lok Sabha elections. He is considered as being close to Mr Modi and Mr Shah unlike PP Choudhary, a senior Supreme Court lawyer who is considered to be close to Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and finance minister Arun Jaitley.

Arjun Ram Meghwal, one of the most vocal and active members of Parliament, has impressed the Prime Minister with his work. He also earned a reputation as eco-friendly, choosing to cycle to Parliament, instead of using a private car.

The other two names of ministers that were earlier considered to be in the race, Kota MP Om Birla and recently elected Rajya Sabha MP and party’s vice president Om Mathur, have been left out ostensibly because the party wanted to utilize them in Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. Mathur, one of the trusted lieutenants of Mr Shah and Mr Modi since his stint in Gujrat, was given charge of UP elections after Amit Shah became president. Birla, who comes from the business community and is regarded for his organizational and election management skills, is also likely to be given important responsibility in UP elections.