This refers to the editorial, “More Ministers needed” (September 5). Cabinet reshuffles and expansions can generally be categorised as tactical or strategic. But the one Prime Minister Narendra Modi carried out is a mix of both. Headline grabbing changes happened in Ministries of defence, power and railways. The Prime Minister now leads a big, 75-strong ministerial team — almost as large as the UPA's, but unlike perhaps in Congress-led Councils of Ministers, two governance messages are clear: First, Ministers in key portfolios have to perform and get the word out. Second, bold new calls will be taken even if they break long-standing political conventions.
The elevation of Nirmala Sitharaman as the defence Minister is remarkable. This is a big step for not just for Sitharaman but also for the women lot in general. This will be for the first time that two women, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Sitharaman, will sit on the key Cabinet Committee for Security which also has the Prime Minister, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley as its members. Finally, an unspoken, though strong, message seems to have has gone out to the BJP's allies from the reshuffle: Be content with what you have, at the moment there aren't even crumbs to spare for you.