Decoding Cabinet reshuffle: Modi’s 10 commandments to his ministers

Making sense of the message Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sent out to his council of ministers through the dramatic makeover of his Union cabinet.

1. Thou shalt not flaunt thy proximity to the prime minister: In other words, PM Modi has no friends and no favourites. No one shalt be seen as getting special treatment because of his supposed equation with the prime minister.

2. Thou shalt not throw thy weight around in the ministry: Thou shalt be respectful towards the bureaucrats you work with and work with them as a team.

3. Thou shalt be fully aligned with the PM's vision for thy ministry: Thou shalt be expected to take initiative, but the chariot must pull in the direction in which the PM wants the ministry to head. Being at loggerheads with the PMO can be fatal.

4. Thou shalt listen respectfully to feedback and suggestions being given by various RSS affiliates about work being done by thy ministry: While thou shalt have the final right to decide on what decision to take, thou shalt not be rude when stakeholders from society come to meet you. Negative feedback from the Sangh about thy work will be taken seriously.

5. Thou shalt remain singularly focused on making a mark in thy ministry: Thou shalt be expected to propagate the work of thy ministry to the public but getting into constant spats with the mainstream media or on social media shalt be considered behaviour unbecoming of a Modi minister.

6. Thou shalt travel across the country spreading the message of the Modi government: Not having anything to show for thy time in the ministry is not okay. Being given a job is no guarantee of retaining it. Perform or perish.

7. Thou shalt never leak negative stories about thy colleagues to the media or gossip about decisions taken by other ministries: This shalt be considered a serious offence.

8. Thou shalt put the interest of the party before self-interest each and every time: No drumming up of personal agenda, no axes to grind besides national interest.

9. Thou shalt not position thyself as the Number 2 in the Modi government: There is no Number 2 to PM Modi. In the government, PM Modi rules supreme while in the BJP, Amit Shah will hold fort.

10. Allies shalt not make demands from the government: If they stay in line, they will be rewarded for the value they bring to the BJP electoral machine. Tantrums and public attacks will not be tolerated.