New Delhi:The most anticipated induction into Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s council of ministers is likely to be that of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah when the new government takes oath next week.
Shah, who has debuted in the Lok Sabha, could join the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) of the second Modi government, sources said. Apart from the prime minister, the CCS comprises the top four of the government – defence, home, external affairs and finance ministers.
In Gujarat, Shah had served as home minister in the governments led by Modi. However, Rajnath Singh, who has retained his Lucknow seat, is one of the senior-most party leaders and served as home minister in the first Modi government.
It remains to be seen if Nirmala Sitharaman, who ably defended the government on the alleged irregularities in the Rafale fighter jet deal, would continue to remain defence minister, and whether Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, who has emerged the government’s crisis manager, gets a more high-profile portfolio.
However, there are concerns over Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s health. He was discharged from New Delhi’s AllMS on Thursday and didn't attend the party's victory celebrations at the BJP headquarters in the evening. Given the challenges on the economic front in the months to come, the concern in the party is if Jaitley’s health will permit him to join the ministry at the current juncture.
Jaitley, who has not been attending office for about three weeks now, has held the finance portfolio (briefly defence) for most of the duration of the Modi government.