Cabinet expansion: How Modi outfoxed the press

Vibha Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 3

The Bharatiya Janata Party’s top duo Prime Minister Narendra Modi and national president Amit Shah appears to have outwitted the press yet again.

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As the central government revealed the names of the nine who would make it to Modi’s council of ministers in the latest Cabinet reshuffle through official statements, the press’s “inside reports” of possible candidates began to fall flat.

That the current BJP leadership — in particular the top duo — has been not only wary, but also disdainful of the press is no secret, especially since the party took over in 2014.

A senior BJP leader who cannot be quoted because of ethical reasons has categorically stated as much: he claimed, in one of his rare interactions with the press, that there can be “no leakages” of decisions in the current regime — neither from the government nor the party.

For instance, hardly any member of the press could claim of being aware of the central government’s decision to elevate Prakash Javadekar to Cabinet rank in the last reshuffle, or of Ram Nath Kovind’s being NDA’s presidential candidate.

When the top BJP leader quipped smilingly that the only thing the press got right was NDA’s vice presidential choice M Venkaiah Naidu, a member of the fraternity shot back saying “his emotions were a giveaway” —Naidu looked unhappy with the prospect of leaving the party.

That PM cares little for journalists became evident the moment he took over in May 2014. He stopped all press other than the Doordarshan from accompanying him on foreign and domestic trips on his official aircraft, and has hardly held any press briefings.

Shah meanwhile managed to bruise many an ego with his curt replies during his formal interactions with the press. There are now fears that his rare informal briefings could also stop altogether because of a recent incident involing a journalist reporting a meeting he hadn’t attended.   

Naidu, who loved interacting with press, has not done so since he took over as the Vice-President.

Also following the Prime Minister’s footsteps was President Kovind, whose recent visit Leh and Andhra Pradesh was without the usual entourage of journalists.