Rajasthan cabinet expands

Emboldened by her Party's historic triumph in Gujarat, Rajasthan's Chief Minister, Vasundhara Raje, sprung a surprise on her Party earlier this week by expanding her Cabinet. She inducted four new Cabinet Ministers and one Minister of State while dropping two Ministers and accepting the resignation of another. Even as Raje asserted that her expansion was to 'bring efficiency' to her Administration, the induction of new Meena and a Gujjar faces is perceived as an attempt to mollify the agitated Gujjar community, which has threatened to launch a major agitation after being denied Scheduled Tribe status in the State. Moreover, coming on the heels of Modi's landslide victory in Gujarat, the ministerial induction is a sharp rap on the knuckles of the RSS-backed dissidents in the State. With Assembly elections slated for December 2008 the message to the dissidents is clear: Fall in line or quit.

Modi's solemn promise

All eyes continue to be on Narendra Modi and his Gujarat. True, he singlehandedly took on the Congress, its supremo, Sonia Gandhi and all the rebels and critics --- and created history by winning hands down with a final tally of 117 seats in a 182-member Assembly. The Congress had to be content with barely 62 seats even though 11 up from its 51 in 2002. But that was yesterday. Today, Modi is being watched closely as he begins his third term as the Chief Minister. And Modi has not disappointed so far. He has made all the right gestures and the correct noises. Displaying magnanimity, he has reached out to all his detractors, including Keshubhai Patel, within the BJP and the Congress. More importantly, he has declared that development and giving Gujarat good governance are paramount. As he put it: "The people have not just given us power. They have also handed over a responsibility".

Modi's message for his third term is loud and clear. He has promised a sustained growth of 12.5 per cent and vowed to turn former President Kalam's 2020 vision of India into reality much before that. Importantly, he has challenged all those who continue to accuse him of having pursued his communal agenda during the poll campaign. He has offered to step down if his critics can show him even one instance of having made a communal pitch. Even as Modi embarks on his Gujarati dream, it remains to be seen whether the Congress will carry out a truly Gandhian introspection and learn its Gujarat lesson. It has to face facts. Neither Sonia Gandhi nor Rahul carried any great conviction with the voters. True, they attracted big crowds. But as the late Congress President, Kamraj, once stated, most people come for tamasha. Every public meeting by a top leader is a mela for them. Ultimately, the people vote on the basis of their own judgment and fancy!