On Monday, the ministerial portfolios were allocated in the Council of Ministers led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The major departments of the government remained unchanged, with no changes in the top four ministries: Home, Defense, Foreign, and Finance. Amit Shah has once again been entrusted with the Home Ministry, Rajnath Singh continues as the Defense Minister, S. Jaishankar retains the Foreign Ministry, and Nirmala Sitharaman remains the Finance Minister.

Tejashwi and Omar Take a Jibe

The former Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav has raised questions on the division of departments in Prime Minister Modi's cabinet. He alleged, “Bihar has been given a toy somewhere in the division of ministries.” Tejashwi Yadav, upon arriving in Patna from New Delhi on Monday evening, told reporters that despite much discussion, Bihar's ministers have been given insignificant roles in the Modi government. He emphasized Bihar's decisive role in the government and urged Nitish Kumar to push for special state status, a caste census, and an increase in the reservation limit to 75 percent.

National Conference (NC) vice-president Omar Abdullah also claimed that the BJP did not allocate important ministries to allies in the third term of the Modi government. On 'X', he stated, “The allies in the NDA do not have any special influence in the corridors of power in Delhi. The allies have got the leftover departments because the BJP has not left any useful ministry. Now you can bet that the post of Speaker is also going to remain with the BJP.”

Which Ministries Did JDU, LJP, TDP Get?

Following these allegations by Tejashwi and Omar Abdullah, questions arise about what the NDA allies have received in the Modi cabinet. The NDA constituent parties have been allocated five cabinet minister posts, along with two ministers of state with independent charge and four ministers of state.

• Rajiv Ranjan Singh (Lalan Singh) from Janata Dal United: Ministry of Panchayati Raj; Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying.
• Chirag Paswan from Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas): Ministry of Consumer Affairs.
• HD Kumaraswamy from Janata Dal (Secular): Ministry of Heavy Industries and Steel.
• Jitan Ram Manjhi: Ministry of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises.
• K. Ram Mohan Naidu from Telugu Desam Party: Ministry of Civil Aviation.

Full List of NDA Allies in Modi's Cabinet

• Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu from Telugu Desam Party: Minister of Civil Aviation
• HD Kumaraswamy from Janata Dal (Secular): Minister of Heavy Industries, and Minister of Steel
• Chirag Paswan from Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas): Minister of Food Processing Industries
• Jitan Ram Manjhi from Hindustani Awam Morcha: Minister of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME)
• Ram Nath Thakur from Janata Dal (United): Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
• Rajiv Ranjan aka Lallan Singh from Janata Dal (United): Minister of Panchayati Raj, and Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying
• Dr. Chandrasekhar Pemmasani from Telugu Desam Party: Minister of State in the Ministry of Rural Development, and Minister of State in the Ministry of Communications
• Prataprao Ganpatrao Jadhav from Shiv Sena: Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of AYUSH; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
• Ramdas Athawale from Republican Party of India: Minister of State in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
• Jayant Chaudhary from Rashtriya Lok Dal: Minister of State (Independent Charge) in the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, and Minister of State in the Ministry of Education
• Anupriya Patel from Apna Dal (Soni Lal): Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and Minister of State in the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers