At a time when journalists foxed by the Modi-Shah combine have stopped engaging in a guessing game over who would join the cabinet and who would be dropped Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO Regional Channels’ of Zee Media says his “trusted source” has briefed him about the likely changes in the soon -to-happen cabinet reshuffle.
Quoting his sources Jagdeesh Chandra says the cabinet expansion could take place on the 2nd of September in which Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh is going to be dropped.
PM Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah had a long discussion on this three days ago and at least two dozen ministries are going to be impacted, says Chandra. He also said many ministries can be merged.
Besides his or her performance, the potential of a minister in impacting the election results of 2019 is the base criterion, says Chandra. Talking on possible names which can be dropped from the cabinet, he named Radha Mohan Singh, Uma Bharti and Rajiv Pratap Rudi.
On Arun Jaitley the second man after Shah, he said he could continue as the Defense minister and the finance could go to Piyush Goel. Chandra also hoped that ministries relating to transport like road, Water, Railways and Civil Aviation could be merged and the charge could be given to Nitin Gadkari.
Chandra said, this would be the last expansion of the Modi Government before 2019 elections and this team would lead BJP to the next elections.
His information could be taken only with a pinch of salt as all efforts by the media to decode Modi’s moves have come a cropper in the past- be it surgical strike or demonetization.
Chandra”s show on the possible reshuffle was telecast on Saturday.