Cabinet Reshuffle

Cabinet Reshuffle

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday carried out a minor reshuffle of his team, promoting Jairam Ramesh to the Cabinet rank while stunning Veerappa Moily and Vilasrao Deshmukh by shifting them to lighter portfolios of corporate affairs and science and technology, respectively.

Ramesh has replaced Deshmukh as the political in-charge of the rural development ministry, deemed crucial for the UPA's flagship schemes. His job as environment and forest minister has gone to Jayanthi Natrajan in a move inspired by Singh's growing concerns about tension between Jairam's determined "green push" and the government's growth objectives.

Other significant changes include the elevation of Mamata Banerjee's nominee Dinesh Trivedi as the new railway minister, and appointments of Rahul Gandhi's aide Bhanwar Jitendra Singh and Milind Deora as ministers of state.

Ramesh's gain of a rank came at the expense of Deshmukh, a former Maharashtra chief minister, who is not suspected to have any appetite for the "unpolitical" ministries of science and technology and earth sciences. The let down appears complete considering that it was only in February that he was given the charge of the rural development ministry, disregarding the Supreme Court's strictures against him for helping a money lender politician.

The fall of Moily, also a former chief minister, was equally steep; more so, against the backdrop of the persistent speculation that he was headed for the HRD ministry.

Viewed together with the eviction of Murli Deora, B K Handique, M S Gill and Kantilal Bhuria, the relocation of the two former chief ministers seems like an attempt to emphasize the importance of delivery midway through the tenure of a regime, which is reeling under the twin blows of inflation and charges of corruption.

Speaking to reporters after the swearing-in- ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan, Prime Minister said: "This is the last reshuffle before we go to polls. The exercise is as comprehensive as possible ". Although Singh qualified that statement afterwards by saying, " in life, there is no finality", there is little possibility of the "restructuring" he spoke of in February happening.

With the inability and aversion of Congress leadership and Singh to touch the four big portfolios of finance, home, defence and external affairs, any future recast ought to be of a modest nature or the one impelled by circumstances.

As a matter of fact, the one attempted on Tuesday — Singh's second in UPA-II — turned out to be bigger than what had been anticipated in the lead up. In all, seven ministers, including Dayanidhi Maran and two ministers of state Sai Pratap and Arun Yadav, have been removed.

More importantly, changes effected in individual ministries are for better. Ramesh will be a huge improvement on Deshmukh. Natarajan's appointment as the environment minister may have been facilitated by concerns about "excesses" under her predecessor, but it is unlikely to mark a return to the days when the ministry either failed to enforce green regulations or engaged in rent-seeking.

he appointment of Salman Khursheed, besides serving Congress's needs for the looming UP elections, can help repair the communication with the judiciary that was almost non-existent under Moily. The suave lawyer, who is expected to ensure better co-ordination among law officers, also retains the charge of the ministry of minority affairs.

The tribal affairs ministry will be better off under Kishore Chandra Deo. His predecessor Bhuria was in any case distracted after his appointment as the MP Congress chief. A veteran of Lok Sabha, Deo will also be looking after the panchayati raj ministry.

Ditto for Paban Singh Ghatowar. A politician of some standing from Assam, Ghatowar comes in his place of Handique, who had virtually become non-functional. His induction will also ensure better chemistry between the ministry and the Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi.

The induction of Rajiv Shukla in the parliamentary affairs ministry as MoS is an acknowledgement of the concern over poor floor-management which have embarrassed the government right since it assumed office. Shukla will be complemented by Harish Rawat, the minister of state for labour, who has been given the additional assignment of parliamentary affairs. Along with the parliamentary affairs minister, Rawat will be the second member from the Lok Sabha to be looking after floor coordination in a season when the Opposition has turned aggressive and is planning to join forces.

The induction of Charan Das Mahant, the sole Congress member of Lok Sabha from Chhattisgarh, gives the BJP-ruled state representation in the Union ministry.