Will JP Nadda Emerge As New HRD Minister?

Will the wave of street protests unleashed in the central business district on a working day in Delhi by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) achieve its goal? The disruptors may not have managed a regime change in the country but it now seems they will have the satisfaction of having some of their goals being partially met. It is now likely that the student community could perhaps have a new HRD minister. In fact, emergence of Union Health Minister and former BJP president JP Nadda as points man is being seen as a sincere move by Modi government to open the dialogue with student community. Nadda met with CJP representatives a day ahead of the protest at his official residence. The buzz is that while Nadda could take charge of the HRD Ministry, the much-reviled Dharmendra Pradhan could be shifted to some significant portfolio or they could be possibly swapping departments. It is being said that the emergence of Nadda as a trouble shooter is not accidental. Nadda brings a combination of political stature, organisational experience and a reputation as a consensus-builder in the party. Within the BJP, Nadda has cultivated the image of a low-key organiser rather than an aggressive leader. A Himachal-born leader who has worked in Bihar, Nadda is often deployed when the party wants to lower the political temperature. Colleagues describe him as accessible, patient and willing to hear out opposing viewpoints before responding. His appeal to the CJP delegation reflected that approach. Instead of rejecting the demands outright, he assured them that the government leadership would deliberate on the issues raised by them. Significantly as Health Minister, he reached out to the injured in hospitals. Rahul Gandhi, LoP in Lok Sabha, and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi also met the injured at Delhi’s Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital.