The President of India, Pranab Mukherjee on Monday appointed the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley as the new Defence Minister. This decision was taken after the Manohar Parrikar resigned from the post to take up charge as the Goa Chief Minister. Manohar Parrikar is all set to swear in as CM on Tuesday and form the government in the state.
This decision of resignation was backed by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and has been accepted with immediate effect. A higher official from the PMO said, “Further, as advised by the Prime Minister, the President has directed that Arun Jaitely, cabinet minister, shall be assigned the charge of the Ministry of Defence, in addition to his existing portfolios.”
Shri Arun Jaitley shall be assigned the charge of the Ministry of Defence, in addition to his existing portfolios
— President of India (@RashtrapatiBhvn) March 13, 2017
Parrikar resigned from his post so that BJP can claim alliance and form the government in Goa. He is all set to be sworn in as the chief minister of Goa tomorrow and will be heading the BJP-led ministry with the support of regional parties and Independent MLAs. Jaitley will be holding the additional portfolio of Defence Ministry for the second time during the present NDA government. In 2014 he held the ministry from May 26 to November 9.
Arun Jaitley has received both praise and flak for his skills as Finance Minister. While some have praised his budget planning, some have criticized it of being aimed at one section of the society. But the bigger question now in the picture is how capable is he of being a Defence Minister. In 2014, Manohar Parrikar was handpicked by the PM Modi ahead of Budget Session 2015-16 as Arun Jaitley was not able to handle two heavyweight ministries at once.
The decision to appoint Parrikar came after the need for a dedicated Defence Minister was observed. Why is it now the Government is going back in time and repeating the mistake of giving one person to handle two heavy weighted ministries? The frequent violations, intrusions, and attacks on Army Camps by Pakistan militants; the violation of ceasefire at the Line of Control (LoC) as well as the international border; and also periodical Chinese incursions along the line of actual control (LAC) in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh shows the need for an active, full time Defence Minister.
But with planning the Budget and taking defence decisions how well can he perform. What India needs is an active Defence Minister, who has on field experience and knows the tactics of warfare. A person who can retaliate immediately and brusquely but with a laid out plan is what India needs in a Defence Minister.
We have to now look forward to how Jaitley, between being a lawyer by practice in Supreme Court of India and planning budget for the next Budget session as the Finance Minister and also as minister of corporate affairs will handle the position of Defence Minister, which requires constant action and presence.
