Home Ministry may be partitioned; MoS, Internal Security may report to PM

NEW DELHI: Splitting the home ministry and making internal security a part of the PMO’s remit is among the big ticket ideas being actively discussed by a small team working on the shape and size of the incoming Modi government.

ET was told by some people familiar with these talks that should the home ministry be split, party chief Rajnath Singh will be offered the ministry of defence and Arun Shourie, former disinvestment minister in the earlier NDA regime, may be offered the rejigged home ministry.

Arun Jaitley, however, remains the frontrunner for the post of finance minister. Shourie’s name has been mentioned in the context of economic ministries. But these people said Shourie’s “talent” and his “personal rapport” with Modi makes him a likely home minister should the home ministry be changed.

These people also said in case the home ministry is split, the home minister will not be the second-most important ministry, unlike the case in the previous NDA regime.

Internal security under the PMO may be managed by a minister of state who reports to the prime minister. The people quoted earlier said there are discussions whether this job should go to a “proven professional”.

Former Intelligence Bureau chief AK Doval could be one of the key functionaries and is one possible candidate for the job of MoS, internal security. Doval’s name is also under consideration, the people quoted earlier said, for the bigger job of National Security Adviser.

The people familiar with these discussions also said while Jaitley remains a strong contender for finance, chances are less that Sushma Swaraj will make it to the Big Four ministries – finance, defence, foreign and home.

These four ministers and the PM make up the prestigious cabinet committee of security – membership of this cabinet sub group is considered to be the ultimate marker of cabinet seniority. Swaraj may get human resources development ministry, the people quoted earlier said.

They also said much of the discussion is centered around finding a suitable foreign minister. If Jaitley gets finance, these people said, and Swaraj is not part of CCS, the big choice for the incoming PM is to find a heavyweight, media-savvy foreign minister who can hold his or her own on the global stage.