Inside Track: Modifying Minority Group

In the 1990s, the Tamilnad Mercantile Bank faced a takeover attempt by the Essar group, which was met with protests from the Nadar community, who considered it an "outlier'’ acquisition. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) intervened, preventing the group from controlling the bank's management despite their majority shareholding. In contrast, the Parsi community remained silent over the perceived Tamil Brahmin takeover of Tata Sons, a 150-year-old business house, without purchasing any shares.

Berjis Desai, the recently appointed Parsi representative of the Minorities Commission, stated that the Tata controversy does not fall within his jurisdiction as the Tata Trusts are secular charities.

Former commission member Kersi Deboo disagreed, highlighting the commission's successful reclaiming of community properties from encroachers, including government agencies. Recently, Deboo wrote to Prime Minister Modi, urging protection for the Tata group's philanthropic legacy and charitable shareholding. Six major Parsi and Zoroastrian organizations, both in India and abroad, have objected to the recent attempts to undermine the renowned Parsi business house.

The initial complacency of the Parsis was likely due to the belief that Prime Minister Modi and Amit Shah held a special affection for their community, which supported Modi in the 2014 election. However, their disappointment was heightened when PM Modi failed to intervene in the ongoing Tata impasse.

The Ministry of External Affairs arranged a meeting between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and N Chandrasekaran, whose reappointment as chairman of Tata Sons was challenged before the Company Law Board. The recent public comments by RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra on the Tata group's need to list were deemed unorthodox. The primary issue at hand is not the listing itself, but the attempt by the Maharashtra charities' commissioner to prevent the two main Tata trusts from voting on the dubious appointment of the group chairman.

This decision is based on hastily drafted and legally ambiguous amendments to the Maharashtra Public Trusts Act, which were passed in the state legislature by the end of 2025.

Since July 2021, the PM Modi's Cabinet has experienced only minor changes at the Minister of State (MoS) level, with no major reshuffles. The only significant change was the forced removal of Dharmendra Pradhan in July due to the students' agitation. Most of the MoS positions were quietly vacated by their respective Rajya Sabha term end, with some returning to their home states for party work.

L Murugan resigned his Rajya Sabha seat from Madhya Pradesh to return to Tamil Nadu, while Harsh Malhotra and Pankaj Chaudhary continued as MoS, serving as state BJP presidents in Delhi and UP, respectively.

Petroleum Minister Hardeep Puri, who has been linked to Jeffrey Epstein allegations, faced a temporary setback when he was denied an extension for UP’s Rajya Sabha nomination. However, he eventually received a reprieve and was accommodated as a BJP candidate for the vacated Rajya Sabha seat. Puri has denied the allegations, stating that their meetings were entirely professional.

Notably, several top bureaucrats have been granted extensions beyond their official retirement dates, including Cabinet Secretary TV Somanathan, Home Secretary Govind Mohan, and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, affecting the morale of the services and depriving junior officers of the opportunity to occupy top positions.