RAISINA HILL
Is the Narendra Modi government short of ministerial talent? The question had arisen just before Modi was due to form his government in May 2014. There was no clear answer then. More than two years have gone by and two rounds of ministerial reshuffle and expansion have taken place since then, but that question still comes up and eludes a clear answer. If anything, the question has assumed greater significance.
Several experts believed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had a phalanx of state-level leaders both within and outside the government. Even at the Centre, there was no dearth of administrative experience, as the party had a long list of senior and active leaders who were part of the previous BJP-led government. But all those calculations seemed to have gone awry as Modi began his consultations on ministry formation by setting his conditions.
First, Modi decided that anyone above 75 years of age would be ruled out for inclusion in the ministry. That criterion had serious political implications even though the idea of having relatively younger people in the council of ministers had its own merits. The 75-year age criterion ruled out several ministerial aspirants, who had expected to be part of the new government, but clearly were not Modi’s favourites. While the political goal was thus achieved and a younger team was ensured, it raised questions about the depth of the ministerial bench strength he could tap into.
Second, the earlier expectation that Modi would benefit from state-level leaders at the helm of several BJP-ruled governments was misplaced. Several chief ministers were reluctant to give up their political empires in the states and accept a role that would make them only one among the many Cabinet ministers. Nor were these chief ministers keen on nominating their deputies or senior colleagues with administrative skills and experience to be part of the Modi government at the Centre. Of at least five experienced chief ministers in BJP-ruled states, only one, Manohar Parrikar of Goa, shifted to New Delhi. The talent shortage in Modi’s council of ministers, thus, got more acute.
Another dimension of the talent shortage faced by Modi was the quality of ministers he could line up for the various ministries. Given his strong focus on economic issues, Modi’s team of ministers for finance, commerce, power, coal, mining, oil, gas and transportation stood out in stark contrast to those who were picked up to lead ministries in charge of portfolios like water, health, agriculture, rural development and irrigation. Effectively, this resulted in the core economic and infrastructure ministries performing more efficiently and enjoying a higher profile than those in charge of the so-called social sector. Indeed, it often became difficult to even recall who headed the Modi government’s ministries for water, health, agriculture, rural development or irrigation. In sharp contrast, the public profile of those heading the hard-core economic ministries was much more salient.
Yet, the irony of it all could not be ignored. Here was a government that was committed to uplifting rural India, making agriculture more rewarding, beefing up the water delivery systems, improving health and hygiene standards and ushering in a countrywide cleanliness drive. Achieving these goals required smart, effective and efficient leadership at ministries in charge of agriculture, rural development, irrigation, health and water. These were to be Modi’s “ministries of hope” for India. Instead, the shortage of ministerial talents seemed to have tied the Modi government in knots, raising questions as to whether the social goals would be achieved.
So, what should Modi do if he wants to improve the performance of ministries in the social sector? One, it must discard its abhorrence for domain experts. Even if the government cannot get hold of the right ministers, competent experts with relevant experience can be put in place in key positions in these ministries so that the ministers in charge can have the benefit of proper advice to get things done. Two, it must run a deeper search for ministerial talents in states. Modi must widen his search for talents by looking beyond the state ministers. Three, Modi should consider resetting his governance style. He should allow his team of ministers to take credit for their performance. It is only then he would attract more talents. And finally, he should empower the ministers of state at the Centre by allocating greater responsibilities to them and also making them more accountable. The good sign is that he seems to have already moved in this direction. The sooner he also looks at the first three options, the better are his chances of tackling the talent shortage in his government.