Cabinet berth a reward for pro-active Anurag Thakur

Tribune News Service

Shimla, July 7

The elevation of three-time Hamirpur MP Anurag Thakur as a cabinet minister signifies his growing political clout with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, rewarding him for his impressive performance, both in the government and the party.

Anurag (46), despite being a Minister of State for Finance, was seen as a pro-active minister who remained at the forefront during any political crisis faced by the party. Even as a deputy to Niramala Sitharaman, he managed not to get overshadowed and came out on his own.

Despite hailing from a small politically insignificant state like Himachal, his elevation is being considered a stamp of approval for his performance. More so when senior ministers and political heavyweights like Ravi Shankar Prasad and Prakash Javadekar were dropped from the Modi cabinet.

His aggressive political posturing, especially in taking on the AAP leadership in Delhi, earned him applaud at the party level. Being son of former Himachal Chief Minister PK Dhumal, who enjoyed a close proximity to Modi, Anurag acted responsibly and managed to win the confidence of both Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.

Considered as a suave young minister, who has won three consecutive Lok Sabha elections, Anurag is known to wear many hats as he started off as a cricketer, finally taking on his father’s political legacy. He remained president of the powerful BCCI and had to step down following court directives.

He has been viewed by the party senior leadership as a as a trouble-shooter and performing minister. He has also maintained a good public connect, especially in this stint, and was at the forefront in ensuring that his constituency did not face any problem in getting oxygen and other Covid relief material.

He has had three stints as national president of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha and came into limelight when he led the Rashtriya Ekta Yatra from Kolkata to Srinagar. Born on October 24, 1974, he made his electoral debut in the 2008 Lok Sabha polls and repeated the feat in 2014 and 2019.