BHUBANESWAR: The cabinet reshuffle on Wednesday has once again highlighted Dharmendra Pradhan’s importance in the Narendra Modi government. While Dharmendra retained his place in the cabinet, though shifted to education and skill development from petroleum and steel, his clout in party matters pertaining to Odisha is also evident with a berth for first-time MP Bishweswar Tudu.
Pradhan had a huge role in Tudu’s entry into politics. The latter quit government service, fought and won the Lok Sabha election from Mayurbhanj on a BJP ticket.
While speculation was rife about the induction of IAS officer-turned-Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Saranagi, party’s former state presidents and Lok Sabha MPs Suresh Pujari (Bargarh) and Basanta Panda (Kalahandi) besides industrialist-turned politician Baijayant Panda, Tudu’s entry is seen as one which had Dharmendra’s approval. Unlike others, Tudu would never be seen as a challenger to Dharmendra, largely the saffron party’s face in Odisha.
Induction of Ashwini Vaishnaw, the BJP’s lone Rajya Sabha member from Odisha in the Modi cabinet has nothing to do with Odisha politics. “Though he has been sent to Rajya Sabha from Odisha, his induction is because of his professional background in both public and private sector,” a BJP insider said. Vaishnaw was given the crucial railway ministry.
While 12 ministers had to resign ahead of the rejig, there was no doubt about Dharmendra’s continuance in the cabinet. Dharmendra is as much a performer as a crisis manager. When the Kamal Nath government fell in Madhya Pradesh, Dharmendra had a major role in the reinstatement of the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government.
Considered a key lieutenant of Modi and Amit Shah, many compare him with Pramod Mahajan. “What Mahajan was to Vajpayee-Advani during NDA-I, Dharmendra is to Modi-Shah,” a state BJP leader said.
Though he did not fight the Lok Sabha or assembly election in 2014 and 2019, Dharmendra had led the campaign in 2019, bringing remarkable success for the party in Odisha. He had also extensively campaigned in West Bengal ahead of the assembly elections earlier this year.
First inducted as a minister of state with independent charge in Modi’s last term, Dharmendra was later promoted to the cabinet and given additional charge of skill development in September 2017. In Modi’s second term, Dharmendra retained petroleum and also got the steel ministry. In the Wednesday’s reshuffle, Dharmendra got education and skill development ministries.
