The Narendra Modi government has by dropping ministers from the Union Cabinet admitted its “gigantic failure”, Congress leader Manish Tewari said on Sunday.
“The real story is the dropping and that is where the admission of the gigantic failure of this government comes,” Tewari said at a press conference.
He said relieving Skill Development Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya, and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Minister Kalraj Mishra of their portfolios meant “no skilling, no employment generation and in addition the MSME sector has been wiped out”.
Tewari also alleged that those promoted to the cabinet rank were being rewarded for working for “khaas aadmi” (VIPs).
“The Petroleum Minister in the last 38 months has not served the ‘aam aadmi’. It is obvious that he has served some ‘khaas aadmi’, that he has been promoted,” said Tewari.
“And coming to the Power Minister, the Power Minister is also the treasurer of the BJP, so obviously he must have performed well.”
Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Power Minister Piyush Goyal, Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman were elevated to the cabinet rank in Sunday’s reshuffle.
Nine others were inducted in the union council of ministers as Ministers of State.