Exercise to garner votes: Congress

The Congress on Tuesday dubbed as a “vote-garnering exercise” the Cabinet expansion looking at election-going states and a “panic reaction against the declining political graph” of the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat.

The much-publicised Cabinet expansion has proved to be “much ado about nothing”, the party’s chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said, adding the exercise reflects “devaluation of government and deficit of talent and experience in the BJP”.

“Team Modi has become a collection of courtiers, sycophants, non-performers and hate mongers,” he told reporters.

He insisted that with a “top heavy” Cabinet comprising 79 ministers, including himself, Mr Modi’s “tall claim” of “minimum government, maximum governance” has been reduced to another gimmick.