2nd March 1948
The March air in Delhi carried a peculiar weight that morning. In South Block's former war room, now hastily converted into what the staff euphemistically called a "strategic planning center," little more than a dozen men gathered around a table scarred by months of urgent meetings.
Arjun arrived last, as had become his habit. The others, Patel with his perpetual scowl, Munshi shuffling through his ever-present notes, Rajagopalachari wearing that expression of barely concealed skepticism—had already settled into their chairs.
Along with them, few more notable figures included Lal Bahadur Shashtri, T. T. Krishnamachari, Rafi Ahmed Kidwai, Baldev Singh and few more.
General Cariappa stood near the wall maps, his weathered hands clasped behind his back, while Admiral Katari and Air Marshal Mukerjee flanked him like bookends.
The table bore the plans of nation building, organizational charts bleeding red ink across foolscap, the budget projections that were made after the promised deals, and territorial maps marked with boundaries that has now became a reality.
A small tea stain was also visible on the corner of a particularly important document detailing railway extensions into what everyone still privately called "the new territories."
"Gentlemen," Arjun began, settling into his chair with the deliberate calm of a man who had learned to project authority through his stillness.
"The world is quietly watching us with the intensity of vultures circling carrion, especially a few handful of nations. They expect our grand democratic experiment to either flourish spectacularly or collapse in chaos within the year."
He paused, letting his gaze sweep across faces that had grown familiar over these months of crisis and opportunity. "We will give them their democracy. But it will be democracy with a spine of steel."
Patel snorted softly—a sound that somehow managed to convey both amusement and approval.
"And for that, we first need to start with setting up the various Ministries, which are going to be the vital organs for this democratic system to work." Arjun continued. He pulled a leather folder toward him, its contained weeks of careful planning by Arjun.
What followed was less a formal presentation of power distribution.
"The Home Ministry would retain its traditional facade—internal security, police coordination, the usual administrative tedium. But nested within it, like a Russian doll concealing its smaller, deadlier sibling, would be the Intelligence Bureau (IB).
The Intelligence Bureau will be led by Director Sharma. His track record as a Colonel speaks for itself - he's the ideal candidate for the job."
Arjun spoke of this with the casual tone of a man discussing crop rotations, though everyone in the room understood the actual seriousness of the restructuring.
"Also, the Intelligence Bureau needs...enhancement," he said. "It's original purpose was for intelligence gathering of both internal and external affairs. But, that's not an effective solution. Too much burden and responsibility on just one single entity.
So, we'll be creating a new intelligence agency, specifically trained for dealing with external threats. Let's see, Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) - that has a more scholarly ring to it, don't you think? Less ominous than 'Internal Intelligence & Security Bureau'.
So, while IB will monitor any internal threats, R&AW will be responsible for dealing with any foreign threats. You know, the usual concerns of any responsible government. Also, they'll be responsible for keeping us informed about our neighbors."
He continued, "Now, I know that for this new agency to work, we would capable agents. That's why, IB will be responsible for their training.
We'll be training these agents on new tactics, since their work will specifically focus on external affairs. Some of which that I'll personally provide to Director Sharma. As for the rest, I believe he's more than capable of handling it."
Rajagopalachari shifted in his chair. "And the definition of 'threat' would be...?"
"Flexible," Arjun replied with that slight smile that had begun to unnerve even his allies. "Adaptable to circumstances."
Next was the Education Ministry. It's transformation proved a bit more more complex.
Beyond the standard educational oversight lay something far more ambitious - a Department of National Values & Civics that would weave new narratives into the minds of children who would never know an India that hadn't stretched from the Arabian Sea to the Bay of Bengal.
"After all, history," Arjun mused, almost to himself, "is written by the victorious."
The curriculum he envisioned would emphasize on unity, certainly—but unity carefully curated, with rough edges smoothed away and inconvenient complexities edited out.
The new Bureau of Religious Institution Oversight would ensure that madrasas and missionary schools aligned their teachings with broader national purposes, all in the name of promoting "mutual respect and unity".
Munshi looked up from his notes. "The minorities won't appreciate having their educational autonomy...questioned."
"Don't worry Munshi-ji, they'll appreciate their stability more than the autonomy," Patel interjected dryly. "Most people do."
The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting would house what Arjun delicately termed 'Media Oversight Board'.
It would be responsible for monitoring and validating what press and radio content needs to be published—though the National Publicity Unit buried in its organizational chart suggested a more direct approach to shaping public opinion.
Daily radio programs celebrating India's victory, films showcasing the new territories' grateful integration, newspapers that somehow always discovered exactly the right stories to feature prominently.
All of this, will be seamlessly integrated to the normal daily programs.
"So basically a censorship, huh", Rajagopalachari muttered.
"Censorship is such an ugly word, Rajaji" Arjun observed. "I prefer 'editorial guidance.' The Media Oversight Board will simply ensure that published material serves the public good rather than private sensationalism."
The External Affairs Ministry's expansion reflected India's new status. A dedicated UNSC Coordination Cell would manage their permanent Security Council seat—a prize that had cost so much blood and political capital that failure was literally unthinkable.
The ministry would also juggle the complex dance of accepting American technology, British industrial investment, and Soviet heavy engineering help without becoming beholden to any single patron.
"We're like a courtesan with three suitors," Admiral Katari smiled wryly. "The trick is keeping them all interested without surrendering to any."
The Defence Ministry's changes went beyond mere military reorganization. The new 'Citizen Reserve Corps' represented something entirely new: a voluntary service program that would channel the educated youth's patriotic fervor into strategic infrastructure projects.
Each applicant would undergo 'comprehensive background verification'—a process that sounded routine until one considered the thoroughness such verification might entail.
"Think of it as a national service program" Arjun explained. "Young people contributing their skills to build the new India. What could be more democratic?"
The Border Administration Office would oversee the integration of territories that still existed in a liminal space between conquest and acceptance, where civil administration and military control blended like watercolors in rain.
Infrastructure commanded its own bureaucratic empire. The Ministry of Transport along with Ministry of Works, Mines & Power would coordinate massive construction projects designed to bind the expanded nation together with steel rails and concrete roads.
The Telecom Oversight Bureau would ensure that communications in sensitive areas served national rather than local interests.
Financial management, led by Ministry of Finance, demanded similar creativity. He had chosen Vishwajeet Rao Kelkar for this job, a rather new face in the congress.
[A/N: He's an OC, because according to history, all other ones wouldn't really align with the Arjun's vision]
Arjun had had seen his fierce believe in Indian fiscal sovereignty first hand, when he requested him to demand the Brits for immediate return of all of the India's gold, just before the UNSC meet in February.
Though, it was still too early for that. He still needed UK's help for redevelopment. And he has already put enough pressure by subtly blackmailing UK regarding their unpaid debts.
Most ambitious of all was the new Ministry of Planning—a central command for development that would coordinate Reconstruction & Integration Plans with the methodical precision of a Swiss watchmaker.
Strategic industries would receive priority attention, guided by planners who understood that economic strength underwrote political stability. Arjun will himself review this Ministry from time to time. And, as for the Minister, he chose Govind B. Pant for the role.
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development would focus on Agricultural aspects, as well as drive population resettlement programs, moving people like chess pieces to create demographic stability in sensitive regions.
The Land Settlement Authority under it would assist in this delicate process.
Then comes, the Ministry of Public Integrity & Administrative Oversight, specifically created to monitor the corruption.
Central Bureau of Investigation(CBI) would be formed under this ministry which will be responsible for investigating any potential corruption under Prevention of Corruption Act.
Perhaps most telling was the creation of a Ministry of Home Minority Affairs—ostensibly dedicated to interfaith harmony and minority welfare, but organizationally connected to what Arjun called "social cohesion monitoring."
The "Majority Respect Doctrine" sounded benign enough until one considered its implementation mechanisms.
"And what about the civil service itself?" General Cariappa asked, his soldier's directness cutting through the bureaucratic euphemisms.
Arjun's expression grew more serious. "Every appointment in the new territories will come through the Department of Martial Governance. Every bureaucrat, from permanent secretaries to office peons, will join the National Loyalty Registry.
We cannot afford the luxury of neutral civil servants when the state itself remains under construction."
The discussion continued. With Ministry of Industries & Supplies (given to T. T. Krishnamachari), Ministry of Commerce and Trade (to M. R. Masani), Ministry of Labor (to Lal Bahadur Shashtri), Ministry of Law(to Munshi) and, etc, being the newly setup ministries.
The room fell silent except for the distant sound of traffic and the scratch of Munshi's pen across paper.
"What about the Elections?" Lal Bahadur Shashtri asked finally.
"Of course. The Transition & Election Monitoring Bureau will coordinate phased regional elections throughout the year.
We'll invite UN observers to carefully selected constituencies—places where the results are... predictable. International legitimacy requires international witnesses."
Patel had remained silent through most of the presentation, his granite features revealing nothing. Now he spoke, and his voice carried the dry humor of a man who had spent decades watching idealism collide with reality.
"A magnificent theatrical production," he said, his words carrying just enough mockery to make everyone uncomfortable. "Shakespeare himself couldn't have crafted a more convincing tragedy disguised as comedy."
Arjun met his gaze without flinching. "Democracy is always partly theater, Sardar-ji. The question is whether the performance serves the audience or the actors."
"And our audience?"
"The world wants to believe in Indian democracy. We'll give them a version they can applaud." Arjun's smile held no warmth.
"Meanwhile, beneath the stage lights and applause, we'll build something that can survive its own contradictions. Strong bones, responsive nerves, and the will to use both when necessary."
He stood, gathering his papers with the methodical care of a man who left nothing to chance. "This is our blueprint, gentlemen. We'll build the new India brick by brick, bureau by bureau, ensuring that when the curtain finally falls, the structure we've created will still be standing."
As the meeting dissolved into smaller conversations and the shuffle of chairs being pushed back, Arjun remained at the table, studying a map that showed the subcontinent in its new configuration.
The borders looked so clean from this distance, so inevitable. On the ground, he knew, they maintained by will.
But that was the price of transformation. And India, he thought, had always been willing to pay steep prices for the things it truly wanted, at least the India that he leads.
[A/N: Man, I lost so many brain-cells while researching and writing this, that I might have become a bit dumber. I hate this chapter so much. How tf do other authors casually write such type of chapters? I've probably not even covered the half of actual number of Departments and Bureaus that are within these Ministries.
Anyways, nobody will probably remember all this info dump, but like I said earlier, they're needed for plot progression.
PS: I have edited the John Matthai as Finance Minister to Vishwajeet Rao Kelkar in the Chapter 23 - Forging the New Dominion
Also, added the Cabinet details in the Auxiliary chapters]