New Delhi:
SM Krishna, 80, quit as Minister for External Affairs, saying, "It is time for the youngsters to take over." The younger ones are indeed slated to feature in starring roles in today's big Cabinet reshuffle, which is said to bear a marked Rahul Gandhi influence.
With the Congress-led UPA under severe attack from civil society and opposition alike over the past few months, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's third major reshuffle in this term seems designed to in one stroke infuse fresh blood in the government, enhance the profile of the younger ministers already there and at the same time free up senior Congressmen to strengthen the party's organisational structure ahead of important state elections and then the 2014 general elections.
Tellingly, Salman Khurshid, who will take over from SM Krishna as Foreign Minister, is much younger at 59. He will, in fact be the youngest of the big four - Finance Minister P Chidambaram is 67, Defence Minister AK Antony is 71 and Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde is 71.
Ajay Maken, 48, is likely to be given Cabinet rank. His elevation is seen as a move to balance the Delhi dynamics, where the ruling Congress has seen a bitter feud between Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and Mr Maken. Mrs Dikshit was known to be keen to join the Manmohan Singh cabinet and Mr Maken's elevation will also be seen as a signal to her that that move is not happening. Speaking ahead of the much-anticipated reshuffle, Mr Maken said, "I'll try and perform honestly and it's an opportunity for us, at least I'm not so young but at least comparatively young people like us have been given an opportunity...so now I think we should perform and we should show our countrymen that young people when given an opportunity they perform."
Sources said Jyotiraditya Scindia, 41, who has been a minister of state for many years now, his present assignment being junior minister in the Commerce Ministry, is likely to get elevated as Power Minister of State with Independent Charge. Also in line for promotion is Sachin Pilot, who is currently the Minister of State, Communications and Information. Sources say he is tipped to take over as Minister for Corporate Affairs with Independent Charge.
Both Mr Scindia and Mr Pilot are sons of senior Congressmen - Madhavrao Scindia and Rajesh Pilot - who held important Cabinet portfolios and died young in mishaps.
Shashi Tharoor is expected to play Comeback Kid. The suave 56-year-old, who lost his job as minister of state for external affairs in the wake of IPL-related allegations, is expected to be back as a junior minister in the Human Resource Development ministry.
RPN Singh is also set for bigger things. He will likely remain a minister of state, but is expected to move to the prestigious Home Ministry. 53-year-old D Purandeswari from Andhra Pradesh, who is the daughter of the legendary NT Rama Rao, has been a minister of state in the HRD ministry for six years, and is now expected to get elevated to minister with independent charge.
The Congress is also reportedly set to induct new young faces into the Manmohan Singh Council of Ministers. Congress spokesperson and Ludhiana MP Manish Tewari, 43, has been rewarded for his staunch and vocal defence of the Congress and the UPA government it leads. He will be get a Minister of State post in the Information and Broadcasting ministry.
Also set to come into the Cabinet as part of the West Bengal brigade is the relatively young Deepa Dasmunshi, 52. She is likely to become the Minister of State for Culture, according to sources.
(Read)Ironically, the Manmohan Singh government also loses its youngest minister in this exercise. Agatha Sangma, 32, of the Nationalist Congress Party resigned on Saturday. She was the minister of state for rural development. Her father, Purno Sangma, fell foul of NCP president Sharad Pawar after defying the party and contesting the Presidential elections this year against the official UPA candidate Pranab Mukherjee. Ms Sangma will be replaced as an NCP minister by Tariq Anwar who is 61 years old.