Cabinet expansion intensifies political debate

 

 

 

 The recent cabinet expansion in Chhattisgarh has intensified a political debate, with the key focus shifting to the representation of the Bastar region. The Congress has been swift to criticise the ruling BJP, alleging that Bastar has been neglected in the new cabinet lineup. Congress state president Deepak Baij has pointed out that while the previous government had two ministers and gave the Bastar Development Authority chairmanship to a local leader, the current BJP government has only one minister from the region, Kedar Kashyap. Baij has framed this as a form of ‘political assassination’ of senior leaders from the area. In response, BJP State President Kiran Singh Deo has dismissed the accusations, advising the Congress to focus on its own organisational issues.

 

He has defended the Chief Minister’s prerogative in cabinet selection and highlighted that Bastar is still represented, not just by Minister Kedar Kashyap, but also through Kondagaon MLA Lata Usendi, who holds the vice president position of the Bastar Development Authority, and his own role as state president. Political analysts note a stark regional imbalance in the cabinet composition.

 

The Surguja division, which includes CM Sai, now boasts five ministers. This is in contrast to Bastar, a region the RSS and ABVP have been targeting for a narrative of development and anti-conversion, which has only one cabinet minister. Other divisions like Bilaspur and Durg have three ministers each, while Raipur has two. This disparity suggests that despite the BJP’s stated focus on Bastar for its political and ideological agenda, the region’s representation in the government’s highest echelons remains disproportionately low.