Why BJP’s ‘Big 4’ ministers, Amit Shah, Rajnath, Nirmala and Jaishankar, have a daunting task ahead of them

PM Narendra Modi has retained Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nirmala Sitharaman and S Jaishankar for the ‘big 4’ ministries of home, defence, finance and external affairs in his new Cabinet. The ministers have a challenging road ahead of them. Here’s some of the big trials that await them read more

Prime Minister Narendra Modi being greeted by Amit Shah at the swearing-in ceremony of the new Union government, at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. Modi has retained Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nirmala Sitharaman and S Jaishankar in their previous roles. PTI

We finally have a clear picture of Modi 3.0. The portfolios have been allocated and the newly-sworn-in ministers are taking charge of their ministries. On Monday (10 June), the new Modi administration announced the portfolios, making some big changes, but also retaining some aspects of his previous government.

In Modi’s new Cabinet , he has retained old faces in the big four ministries — Amit Shah will retain the Home portfolio, Rajnath Singh defence, finance ministry by Nirmala Sitharaman and foreign ministry will be retained by S Jaishankar.

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As the Big 4 take charge of their ministries, here’s a list of challenges that await them.

Amit Shah and the Home ministry

The crucial Union Ministry of Home Affairs has been handed over to Amit Shah for a second consecutive term, signalling continuity on key internal security issues. It is reported that 59-year-old Shah is on track to become India’s longest-serving home minister. Congress’ Govind Ballabh Pant and BJP’s LK Advani served as Union home ministers for a little over six years, while Shah and Rajnath Singh, the Union home minister in the Modi 1.0 government, have spent five years each in the North Block.

However, there’s a long list of tasks awaiting Shah as home minister. The first challenge before Shah is the implementation of the new criminal laws — Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam — replacing the British-era Indian Penal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure, and the Indian Evidence Act of 1872. In February, the Centre had issued notifications that the laws would come into effect from 1 July. This means that Shah has less three weeks to ensure the smooth implementation of these laws.

The other big challenge awaiting Amit Shah is terrorism. As home minister, Amit Shah will have to find ways to crackdown on terrorism that continues to rear its ugly head in Jammu-Kashmir. In fact, even as ministers took the oath at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Sunday, a bus was attacked by terrorists J&K’s Reasi district, leading to the death of 10 pilgrims.

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Union Minister Amit Shah after taking charge in New Delhi. Earlier, on Monday, he retained the home ministry. PTI

The ethnic violence in Manipur will also be a task for Amit Shah. The northeastern state has witnessed ethnic strife for more than a year now and there seems to be no solution to the situation. Human rights activists have said that the situation in Manipur resembles that of a civil war — with over 60,000 people being displaced from their homes.

Shah will also have to be vigilant against the threats emanating from Khalistani outfits, especially at a time when Amritpal Singh won the Lok Sabha elections from Khadoor Sahib even though he’s behind bars. His win could be a headache for security agencies who have accused him of propagating separatist sentiments in the recent past.

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Restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir will also be a priority for Shah. Under his tutelage, the home ministry will also have to ensure that Assembly elections in Jammu-Kashmir are held without any violence.

The home ministry also has to carry out the Census exercise, which has been deferred on numerous occasions in the past. The Census enumeration scheduled to take place in 2021 has been pushed till October 2024.

For Amit Shah, eradicating or reducing cybercrime is another daunting task. According the official data of the Ministry of Home Affairs, cybercrime has been rising by the day. Until last year, around 5,000 complaints were being reported on the national portal, but the number has increased by 40 per cent per day.

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Tough road for Rajnath Singh

Rajnath Singh returns as defence minister in Modi 3.0. There are big challenges such as addressing concerns over the Agnipath recruitment scheme for the Armed Forces and continuing the long-pending theatre commands reform process awaiting him in his second stint at the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

It was under his first stint as defence minister that the Modi government rolled out the Agnipath scheme in June 2022 for short-term induction of personnel to the armed forces. Under it, both male and female aspirants between ages 17.5 and 21 are recruited into the cadre below the officer’s rank for four years, with a provision to retain 25 per cent of them for 15 more years.

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The scheme, however, hasn’t been received well, with sections of the youth opposing it. In fact, shortly after the election verdict, the BJP’s alliance partners — the JD(U) and the Chirag Paswan-led LJP, calling for a review of the scheme.

BJP leader Rajnath Singh takes oath as minister during the swearing-in ceremony of new Union government, at Rashtrapati Bhavan. He has been handed the defence ministry, the one he held in the previous administration too. PTI

Another significant reform that Singh will have to undersee is the unification of theatre commands, which aims to integrate the army, navy and air force into unified theatre commands for enhanced joint operations and efficiency.

Another big assignment for the defence ministry and Singh will be to increase India’s atmanirbharta (self-reliance) in defence manufacturing. India is aiming to cut down on defence imports — between 2019 and 2023, the country accounted for a significant 9.8 per cent of the total global arms imports. Moreover, the nation needs to enhance the military’s operational preparedness along the borders.

The government also aims to overhaul the Defence Research Development Organisation. According to an Indian Express report, a high-powered committee led by former principal scientific advisor Prof. K VijayRaghavan, had suggested several reforms to revamp the organisation and its implementation is likely to be an important priority for the Modi administration.

While these are long-term goals that Rajnath Singh will have to undersee, one critical and urgent task awaits him and that’s the appointment of the Army chief. In fact, shortly before the Lok Sabha election results were to be announced, the Centre had extended the tenure of the Chief of the Army Staff Gen Manoj Pande by one month, until 30 June.

Money matters for Nirmala Sitharaman

Nirmala Sitharaman is back in the economic saddle after Narendra Modi retained her in the finance ministry. With her return, the 64-year-old will have to take on the challenge of ensuring more equitable growth across the world’s most populous nation.

She will have to strike a balance for maintaining the growth momentum amid sticky inflation. Her term comes at a time when India has posted seven per cent plus Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate from the last three years but continues to face slow agricultural growth, weak exports and flagging consumption demands.

Another concern she will have to contend with is job generation. There are concerns over disguised employment in agriculture and the lack of high-quality jobs in the country. She will also need to ensure ease of starting a business.

BJP’s Nirmala Sitharaman takes oath as minister during the swearing-in ceremony of new Union government, at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The first big task as finance minister will be drafting the full Budget for 2024-2025. PTI

And while trying to help India achieve its goal of becoming a $5 trillion economy by 2025 is no easy task itself, Nirmala Sitharaman will also have to balance concerns of the alliance partners.

She also has a task cut out for herself as she will have to present the full Budget for the financial year 2024-2025 in parliament in the first fortnight of July.

A News18 report further adds that she will have to deal with two pressing issues — the cryptocurrency law and the electoral bonds judgment of the Supreme Court which has got some entities in the corporate sector worried. But as Sitharaman told a young admirer once: “The moment you have recognised the ups and downs, half the bridge is crossed.”

External trials for Jaishankar

On Monday, S Jaishankar was retained as external affairs minister and he got off the ground running by taking charge on Tuesday morning. The 69-year-old thanked Modi for keeping faith in him as he began his second consecutive term.

But as the world stares at two wars — the Russia-Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas wars — it won’t be smooth sailing for Jaishankar, the bureaucrat-turned-minister. Talking to reporters as he took charge, he said, “Our focus with regard to China will be on finding a solution for the border issues that still continue. With Pakistan, we would want to find a solution to the issue of years-old cross-border terrorism… How do we find a solution so that… that cannot be the policy.”

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar at the ministry on the day of taking charge, in New Delhi. PTI

“In any country, and especially in a democracy, it is a very big deal for a government to get elected three times in a row. So the world will definitely feel that today there is a lot of political stability in India… As far as Pakistan and China are concerned, the relations with those countries are different, and the problems there are also different,” he added.

According to analysts, Jaishankar’s biggest challenges will emanate from India’s neighbourhood and China. A report by The Print said that economic diplomacy will also be a key task for Jaishankar as the Modi government seeks to achieve the $5 trillion economy target by 2025.

In his second term as Union minister, Jaishankar will continue to position India as the ‘voice of the Global South’.

There’s also New Delhi’s bid to get a permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). Earlier, speaking on the same, Jaishankar had said there is a feeling in the world that India should get the UNSC seat, “but the country will have to work harder this time for it”.

With inputs from agencies