I. Arguably (or quite unarguably?), the most significant appointment, by the Prime Minister, is that of Amit Shah, a debutant member of the parliament, as the new Home Minister. This, by all indications, is way more significant than Yogi Adityanath being anointed the Chief Minister of India's most populous state. The former had told us - those who'd care to listen, as regards the BJP campaign line, on the national scale in the coming days. The latter is all about what we're going to witness/experience now.
Here's a rather longish excerpt from a write-up on Shah, carried by the Washington Post. (Amit) Shah, 54, has been a Modi loyalist since the ′90s. They go back to Modi’s early days in Gujarat, when Modi was not content with being general secretary of his party — he wanted power. In 2001, a few years after his arrival, Modi became chief minister of Gujarat with the help of Shah. Shah served as a young minister in Modi’s state cabinet, holding a wide portfolio. Shah’s mission was to thwart all trouble that came Modi’s way, with his office getting the infamous tag of the “dirty tricks department” of the chief minister. Since that time, Shah has only grown more powerful. He is one of the most divisive and hateful politicians in India. He has told audiences that a vote against the BJP will be celebrated in Pakistan. He has referred to Muslim immigrants as “termites” who need to be thrown in the Bay of Bengal. It was his idea to introduce a bill to grant citizenship to minorities from neighboring countries, except Muslims. More troubling, he has a checkered past on human rights. He has been accused of extrajudicial killings against Muslims labeled as being terrorists. In 2010, I reported on the killings. I produced Shah’s call records and an internal note by the Gujarat state intelligence agency that noted he was in conversation with officials as they took victims to be killed. Two weeks after my investigation was published, Shah was arrested (he denied the accusations and called the charges “fabricated and politically motivated”). The Central Bureau of Investigation had been investigating Shah for his role in the killing of a Muslim man, Sohrabuddin Sheikh, and his wife, Kauser Bi. The CBI, under the watchful eye of the Supreme Court of India, named Shah a key suspect and conspirator in the crime, but also accused him of being the head of an extortion racket that involved underworld thugs and politicians. The charges were so serious that the Supreme Court banned Shah from entering his home state so he could not influence or intimidate witnesses. Shah was also investigated for his role in the kidnapping and murder of a 19-year-old woman, Ishrat Jahan, who had been illegally detained. Shah didn’t spend long behind bars — he was soon out on bail. It was speculated that Shah’s downfall would also bring down Modi. But in 2013, Modi was named the BJP’s candidate for prime minister. Shah was made the president of the BJP, the first party leader to hold the position despite the criminal charges against him. As the Modi government came to power, witnesses in Shah’s case turned hostile, judges recused themselves, and within months Shah was acquitted of all criminal charges. In 2013 Shah was also accused of illegally spying on a young woman. Two journalism organizations produced taped conversations with senior police officials, where he was heard directing them to keep surveillance. The BJP’s explanation was that her father had requested security, but the police couldn’t produce any official requests or authorizations. Despite his controversial past, Shah has now cemented his role as Modi’s confidant and enforcer. He can take policy decisions without the prime minister’s approval. In 2014, when the opposition Congress Party gave up on its electoral prospects, Shah began preparing for 2019. He relaunched a massive membership drive of BJP workers. In a span of two years, the number of verified BJP members rose from 35 million to 110 million. Shah has also built political alliances across the country, which helped the BJP obtain its recent massive electoral mandate. Some speculate that Shah has set his eyes on the prime minister’s chair for 2024. For now, as head of the home ministry, the most significant department in the Indian parliamentary system, he will oversee the disposal of justice and be responsible for maintaining peace and harmony in the country. But he’s clearly all too willing to abuse power. India is living in one of its most polarized political and social moments. The country needs a healing touch. *But Modi and Shah only care about amassing power, even if it means weakening institutions, undermining human rights and eroding trust in the rule of law. India could not be in more dangerous hands* [emphasis added.]. (Ref.: 'Amit Shah, India’s invisible prime minister, gets more powerful — and dangerous' by Rana Ayyub at < https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/05/31/amit-shah-indias-invisible-prime-minister-gets-more-powerful-dangerous/?utm_term=.612a0b0b29d7 >.) II. Ms. Nirmala Sitharaman, a Rajya Sabha member and the Defence Minister last time - succeeding Jaitley and Parrikar, has been appointed as the Finance Minister. What is more significant that just before the announcement of the Cabinet formation the NITI Aayog's operational head Rajiv Kumar would lay out the broader outlines of the economic measures to be taken in the coming days. In the first 100 days of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s second term, a slew of ‘big-bang’ economic reforms that should please foreign investors are likely to be pursued, according to a top official at the government’s main think-tank. The reforms will include changes in labour laws, privatisation moves and creation of land banks for new industrial development, said Rajiv Kumar, vice chairman of NITI Aayog (National Institute for Transforming India), who reports directly to Modi. “They (foreign investors) will have reasons to be happy. You will see a slew of reforms I can assure you of that. We are going to pretty much hit the ground running,” Kumar told Reuters in an interview. Modi is the chairman of the think-tank. ... Kumar said that the government will focus on fully privatising or closing more than 42 state-controlled companies in the coming months. The government is even mulling lifting the foreign direct investment cap on Air India, the loss-making state-owned flagship carrier, to make it easier to sell. Kumar also said that it could create an autonomous holding company that would control all state-owned firms and wouldn’t be answerable to lots of different ministries. This would speed up decision making for asset sales, avoiding much of the central government’s bureaucracy. (Ref.: 'India May Privatise or Shut 46 PSUs in Coming Months, Says NITI Aayog's Rajiv Kumar: According to Kumar, a slew of reforms, which will include changes in labour laws, privatisation moves, and creation of land banks for new industrial development, are likely to be pursued.' at < https://thewire.in/economy/india-may-privatise-or-shut-46-psus-in-first-100-days-says-niti-aayogs-rajiv-kumar >.) III. Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, a former Chief Minister of Uttarakhand is the new HRD, i.e. Education, Minister. Here is something interesting: Emphasising that India’s “knowledge and science do not lack anything”, former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, who is now a BJP MP, claimed on Wednesday that an ancient sage, Kanad, who is believed to have lived around the 2nd century BC, had conducted a nuclear test during his time. Participating in a debate in the Lok Sabha, Nishank said, “Today we are talking about nuclear tests. Lakhs of years ago, Sage Kanad had conducted a nuclear test. Our knowledge and science do not lack anything.” Nishank also echoed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s earlier remarks citing “plastic surgery” and “genetic science” to explain the creation of Lord Ganesh and Karna respectively. (Ref.: 'Astrology topmost science, PM Narendra Modi right on Ganesh surgery: Pokhriyal', dtd. Dec. 4 2014, at < https://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/ancient-india-tested-nukes-modiji-right-on-ganesh-surgery-ex-cm-in-lok-sabha/?fbclid=IwAR3r20AUVJ1wq9iP8Ofwgf6m2ASlsO0MWNn7je6n54RmiiHU0YHp-NvGCzw >.) IV. Giriraj Singh has been appointed cabinet minister for animal husbandry, and PM Modi has given him two deputies — Sanjeev Balyan & Pratap Sarangi. Here is a brief note. The cow protection brigade of the BJP has got a new ministry to man — the Ministry of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries, which has been segregated from the Ministry of Agriculture. Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday allocated this new ministry to Giriraj Singh, who had last year endorsed RSS leader Indresh Kumar’s remarks that a ban on cow meat consumption would bring down the crimes of the ‘Satan’, referring to incidents of mob lynching. In 2015, he had sought to differentiate between cow and goat meat eaters, drawing an analogy with a man’s relationship with his wife and sister. “Would those who eat goat meat consume dog meat if they are offered? Indians do consider their relationship with mother and sister as sacred… In the same way we should approach gau mata with the same reverence,” he had told The Indian Express. ... To assist Giriraj Singh in manning the new ministry, the Modi has assigned two deputies — Muzaffarnagar riots accused Sanjeev Kumar Balyan and VHP and Bajrang Dal leader from Odisha, Pratap Chandra Sarangi. Balyan has been outspoken in his views against cow slaughter. He had said that the murder of Mohammad Akhlaq in Dadri, Uttar Pradesh, on the suspicion of beef consumption should not be seen as a communal issue. ... Sarangi was the Odisha state coordinator of the Bajrang Dal when the RSS-affiliated outfit’s role had come under the scanner after Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons were burnt to death in 1999. Bajrang Dal activist Dara Singh was one of those convicted for the murder. Sarangi had, however, denied the role of the Bajrang Dal in the killings in his deposition to the D.P. Wadhwa commission, which gave a clean chit to the outfit but noted Singh’s involvement in the cow protection movement. Singh, Balyan and Sarangi, who are expected to push their cow protection agenda in the new ministry may get a helping hand from some other ministerial colleagues, too. One of them is Prahalad Singh Patel, the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Culture and Tourism, who has been a known votary of a ban on cow slaughter. (Ref.: 'BJP’s ‘cow protection brigade’ gets official stamp in new animal husbandry ministry: Giriraj Singh has been appointed cabinet minister for animal husbandry, and PM Modi has given him two deputies — Sanjeev Balyan & Pratap Sarangi.' at < https://theprint.in/india/governance/bjps-cow-protection-brigade-gets-official-stamp-in-new-animal-husbandry-ministry/243882/?fbclid=IwAR0q9RTfWljFTbwbChfpTAMNQA6-M4fJRhpR8W5o3OZMw-JLlYzAY5GeEoY >.) Sukla -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. 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