Modi cabinet rejig: Hate speech specialist Yogi in, Sadananda Gowda out?

New Delhi, Jun 30: Law Minister Sadanand Gowda is likely to be dropped by the Union cabinet among a few other ministers as the Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set for a cabinet reshuffle.

If this happens, it would be the second time that Gowda is shunted out of a ministerial position. Prior to taking over as the law minister in November 2014, he was in-charge of the Railways. However, Gowda was perceived as lacking any big idea for the ministry and was seen as someone who was unable to get work done, according to a report published in a national daily.

The upcoming elections in Uttar Pradesh could also have a bearing on the upcoming reshuffle, which is likely to happen by July 4, as Mr Modi's another foreign tour commences on July 5. As many as four prominent names from Uttar Pradesh, including Yogi Adityanath, Mahesh Sharma, Sanjeev Balyan and Raghav Lakhanpal, are reported to be doing the rounds for a berth in the Cabinet.

While Yogi Adityanath has frequented in the news for his public statements which have been termed as 'hate speech', Sanjeev Balyan is accused of being involved in the Muzaffarnagar riots of 2013. In fact, Balyan had raised the issue of the riots in February this year, when he campaigned for the BJP for the bypolls in Muzaffarnagar, according to reports.

Among other likely changes, Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers Nihal Chand may be dropped from the government while Arjun Meghwal, a senior leader from Rajasthan, could be brought in.

The names of Navjot Singh Sidhu, Rameshwar Teli from Assam and Bhagat Singh Koshyari and Ajay Tamta from Uttarakhand are also doing the rounds. There is no representation from Uttarkhand in the Cabinet at present.

Party sources said more representation may also be given to Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan. Recently, Union Minister of State for Sports Sarbananda Sonowal took over as the Assam Chief Minister. Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Vijay Sampla has been made BJP Punjab unit president.