Day after being culled, sacked Gujarat ministers maintain silence of the lambs

A day after 24 new ministers were administered the oath of office in Gujarat, there has been no visible protest by members of the previous Vijay Rupani-led cabinet.

None of the ministers in the earlier government found place in the ministry of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, who replaced Rupani two days ago.

Former ministers have either maintained silence or supported the `no-repeat' formula adopted by the top Bharatiya Janata Party leadership.

Nitin Patel, who was deputy chief minister in the Rupani government, said the party leadership would have taken the decision only after deep deliberations.

"This is for the first time in the history of the BJP that such a step has been taken where everybody, including the chief minister, was replaced. The party leadership has started this change with Gujarat," Patel said.

It will have to be seen how it impacts people, he told reporters.

The new ministers were his colleagues and he congratulated them, Patel added.

Though no BJP leader aired resentment over the development, it was apparent that all was not well as the swearing-in ceremony had to be postponed for a day.

Some senior leaders did express their resentment when they were told that they would not get a berth in the new ministry, party sources said.

But some political observers feel that there is no open protest because those who rebelled against the party in the past, such as former chief minister Keshubhai Patel, did not succeed in making their mark outside the BJP. 

Even leaders like Kuverji Bavalia and Jawahar Chavda, who were made ministers in the last government after crossing over from Congress, have not protested.

A senior BJP leader pointed out that the party did very well in the recent local body polls in Gujarat because it gave tickets to new faces.

The strategy can pay dividends as it nullifies the anti-incumbency factor, he added.