As Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday undertook the fifth expansion of his Council of Ministers, all eyes turned to former Union Minister and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Balwant Singh Ramoowalia.
The veteran, who is not even a member of any House in UP, was inducted as a Cabinet Minister in the Akhilesh Yadav Government.
The expansion saw 21 Ministers — including 12 new faces — being administered oath by Governor Ram Naik. Among others, Bansidhar Baudh, who joined the SP from the BSP last year and won from Balha, was inducted as Minister of State.
He is known for his clean image and simple living. Sadab Fatima is the lone woman to be inducted as Minister of State with Independent charge.
A two-term former MP from Sangrur and Faridkot in Punjab, Ramoowalia was a Union Minister in the United Front Government headed by HD Deve Gowda. His induction is said to be for giving representation to the Sikh community in the Ministry.
Ramoowalia, who quit SAD before taking oath in the Akhilesh Cabinet, later told the media that he has great respect for Mulayam Singh Yadav and could not say no when the SP chief himself rang him up on Friday to make the offer.
“I have great respect for Mulayam Singh ji. He rang me up on Friday morning and told me that the SP wants my services. I could not say no. When I became Minister in the Union Cabinet in 1996, I was not even an MP then, at that time too it was possible because of Mulayam ji,” Ramoowalia said besides claiming that even Akhilesh had urged him to take up the responsibility.
The ruling SAD in Punjab hit out at Ramoowalia -- who was its core committee member and senior vice-president -- for displaying the “height of political opportunism” by “betraying” the party. Top Akali leaders said that the action of Ramoowalia was reminiscent of the days of “aaya ram gayaa ram” politics. The SAD removed Ramoowalia’s daughter Amanjot Kaur Ramoowalia as Chairperson of the Mohali District Planning Commission.
With several Ministers facing accusations of inefficiency, the Chief Minister had on Thursday sacked eight Ministers and stripped nine others of their portfolios. None of the axed ministers were rehabilitated on Saturday though some of them had approached party supremo Mulayam.
The biggest revamp exercise has been done as the ruling party focuses on a massive image makeover with an eye on the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections after it got wiped out in the heat of Modi wave in lok Sabha polls last year.
After dropping some old guards and close aides Mulayam, Akhilesh gave responsibility to the likes of Arvind Singh Gope, Shadab Fatima, Nitin Agarwal, Ram Sakal Gurjar and Yasir Shah. Gope and Yasir Shah have been elevated for their good performance. They were junior Ministers earlier.
Seeking to keep the minority vote-bank intact, the Chief Minister gave six members of the minority community berths in the new reshuffle.
Five Cabinet ministers, eight Ministers of State with Independent charge and eight Ministers of State were inducted at Raj Bhawan. MoS Hemraj Verma, who was not present at the oath-taking ceremony in the morning, was sworn in later. The Akhilesh Yadav ministry now has 58 ministers -- 26 Cabinet ministers (including the CM), 11 MoS (Independent charge) and rest MoS.
Senior Congress from Punjab Amarinder Singh said Ramoowalia’s deserting the party and switching his loyalty towards Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh was just the beginning of a “massive exodus” of leaders and workers from the party that is likely to follow in the coming days.
“It is a classic case of rats starting to desert a sinking ship,” Congress’ Deputy leader in the lok Sabha, Amarinder Singh said. “Gradually all the rats will desert the Akali Dal before its ship sinks in the storm of widespread public outrage and outcry,” the former Chief Minister claimed in a statement here.