New Delhi, May 20: With a long queue of ministerial hopefuls at his doorstep, Narendra Modi has reportedly told party MPs not to lobby for a place in his government.
On Sunday, Mr Modi reportedly ticked off a delegation of BJP MPs from Karnataka, led by BS Yeddyurappa and Ananth Kumar that they should stop angling for ministries and instead work to strengthen the party in their state.
Goa leader Shripad Naik apparently did not get the message. The four-time MP openly admitted today that he expects a ministry. "We have given both seats in Goa with a very good margin. Goa may be a small state but it should get its due," he said.
A BJP MP from Maharashtra, Sharad Bansule, said he expected to be rewarded for defeating Sushil Kumar Shinde in Solapur in Maharashtra. "If I am a minister, I can do more for my constituency. I am an artist, I have worked in films...," he said.
Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who also met Mr Modi, however, told reporters, "Give Modi reasonable time to build his own team."
Allies like the Shiv Sena and the Telugu Desam Party will also meet Mr Modi, but while they are expecting cabinet slots on the back of good performance in their states, they realize that the BJP has an even better mandate to call the shots.
Mr Modi, who has ruled Gujarat since 2001 and has trumpeted the "Gujarat model" of governance as an example of what he can do for the country, is known to prefer a compact cabinet.
The Prime Minister-to-be yesterday met several top bureaucrats including the Home Secretary Anil Goswami. Following these meetings, Cabinet Secretary Ajit Seth has asked key ministries to prepare power point presentations for Mr Modi on what went wrong in their ministries, how they can achieve targets and their budget needs.
Led by Mr Modi, the BJP won its biggest mandate ever in the national election, taking 282 seats on its own and 336 with its allies.
The 63-year-old is expected to be sworn in as India's 15th Prime Minister this weekend.
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