Congress cries foul post rejig of Governors; adds Rahul Gandhi factor in Cabinet reshuffle

Weighing in on the new gubernatorial appointments and the upcoming Cabinet reshuffle, the Congress party took umbrage at the choices of the Union government. Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera questioned the Centre as to why West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra and Lakshadweep Administrator Praful Khoda Patel had not been dropped. While Dhankhar has been at loggerheads with the TMC government, Patel has drawn flak for his purported "anti-people" policies in Lakshadweep.

"Have they changed the Governor who was found indulging in all kinds of constitutional impropriety in West Bengal? Have they changed the Governor who was found compulsorily selling his biography to Vice-Chancellors in Rajasthan? Have they changed the administrator of Lakshadweep? So, this is a strange government. If a Governor is found indulging in impropriety, that Governor is most likely to be rewarded," Congress' Pawan Khera asserted. 

Escalating his attack on the Centre, the spokesperson added, "Likewise, I think the only criteria before a Cabinet reshuffle that Modi does is to see their Twitter timeline. How much have they attacked Rahul Gandhi. The more the tweets against Rahul Gandhi, the better it is for that Minister. The Ministers in the Modi Cabinet are not there to deliver, not there to do anything in terms of governance and their portfolios. The only unspoken rule of Modi's Cabinet is to go and attack Rahul Gandhi." 

Union Minister's appointment as Governor confirms reshuffle buzz

In a first confirmation that the Union Cabinet reshuffle is likely to take place anytime soon, Thaawarchand Gehlot was dropped from the Council of Ministers and appointed as the Governor of Karnataka. The new gubernatorial appointments include Dr. Hari Babu Kambhampati (Mizoram) Mangubhai Chhaganbhai Patel (Madhya Pradesh) and Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar (Himachal Pradesh). On the other hand, Mizoram Governor PS Sreedharan Pillai, Haryana Governor Satyadev Narayan Arya, HP Governor Bandaru Dattatraya and Tripura Governor Ramesh Bais have been transferred to the states of Goa, Tripura, Haryana and Jharkhand respectively. 

Sources have told Republic TV that the Union Cabinet reshuffle will take place at 10.30 am on Thursday, July 8. Apna Dal (S) leader Anupriya Patel, ex-Maharashtra CM Narayan Rane, former Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal and LJP president Chirag Paswan's uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras have been summoned to Delhi which implies that they have a strong chance of being a part of the Modi Cabinet. The other names in contention include Pritam Munde, Zafar Islam, Jyotiraditya Scindia etc. Union Ministers such as Narendra Singh Tomar, Dharmendra Pradhan, Ravi Shankar Prasad and Smriti Irani might be divested of their additional portfolios, sources added.