By MANISH ANAND
Amid mounting speculation over a Narendra Modi Cabinet reshuffle, a Union Cabinet minister hosted a rare lunch for senior officials. Bureaucrats present interpreted the gathering as a farewell gesture.
New Delhi, June 29, 2026 — After days of intense speculation on an impending Cabinet reshuffle, a big message emerged from the Narendra Modi government as a Union Cabinet Minister hosted officials for a lunch. The officials decoded that the luncheon meeting was a farewell get together, called by the Minister to say, “Thank you for cooperation.”
Officials at and above ranks of Director to secretary met for the lunch with the Cabinet Minister. “In his tenure, this was the first time he called for a lunch. Obviously, there was no agenda for the meeting as it was a get-together over the lunch,” said an official who had gone for the luncheon meeting with the minister.
The minister who invited the official for lunch was Ashwani Vaishnaw. The officials belonged to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
“At least, it’s now clear that Vaishnaw may possibly be leaving the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Lately, the Modi government has faced with rare bad press from otherwise very docile Indian media. Vaishnaw may possibly will have to leave the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting as a negative performance appraisal,” said another official.
Vaishnaw had called the officials for lunch at the Rail Bhawan on Monday, sources said. He, incidentally, holds charges of affairs of a number of Ministries. Besides Ministry of Railways, Vaishnaw is also a Minister for Information and Broadcasting, and MeITY.
“If Vaishnaw is not dropped from the Cabinet, then he probably will be divested of the I&B and MeITY Ministries and asked to focus on the Ministry of Railways,” sources in the government said.
Vaishnaw has been the media face of the Modi government in the third term of the Prime Minister. He also holds Cabinet briefing. Sources said Vaishnaw meets editors and political editors in batches to keep a tab of the media, while also gathering feedback from journalists.
Earlier, Hiren Joshi, who looked after the media works for the Prime Minister, had made into the news for his reported downgrading and also divesting of responsibilities. Joshi remained a subject of speculations in a section of the media as no official information about his position in the government has yet been provided.
If Vaishnaw were to lose the I&B portfolio, and the episode seen together with the Hiren Joshi saga, then political observers in New Delhi claim that the Prime Minister may be rebooting the whole communication team.
Anil Baluni, who is the BJP media head and also a Lok Sabha MP, is among the ministerial hopefuls, sources said. However, he is likely to become a minister only if the incumbent minister from Uttarakhand Ajay Tamta is dropped from the council of ministers.
Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand with five and four Lok Sabha seats respectively get only one representation in the council of ministers.
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