New Delhi:
It's been on the cards for weeks and now it seems that the much-anticipated Cabinet reshuffle will take place within the next few days. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met Congress President Sonia Gandhi yesterday to discuss the issue. (
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The revamp is expected to be more of a corrective measure for the government that has been under siege over charges of corruption.(
Watch: New faces in the Cabinet soon?)
While a reshuffle was on the cards well before the next session of Parliament from August 1, a series of developments over the last one week made it imperative for the Prime Minister and the Congress leadership to move faster, the latest being the resignation of
Dayanidhi Maran in the wake of the CBI's latest revelations in the 2G scam.
Reports said DMK leader Dayanidhi Maran's exit had apparently irked party chief M Karunanidhi who is already upset over her daughter Kanimozhi being in the Tihar Jail in connection with the 2G scam. And DMK's nominee T R Baalu is not easily acceptable to the Congress. But Finance Minister and Congress' chief troubleshooter Pranab Mukherjee, who met the Kalaignar at his Chennai residence yesterday, put all rumours to rest.
"There is a lot of writing and speculations whether the alliance between Congress and DMK is continuing or not. My respectful submission would be, this alliance is there, the alliance will continue and it will be strengthened," Mr Mukherjee said.
Sources say Pranab has offered two Cabinet berths to the DMK, but Karunanidhi is reluctant to send replacements for Dayanidhi Maran and A Raja, another DMK leader who is in Tihar since February in connection with the 2G scam. (
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But as soon as Pranab signalled that all is well, the Prime Minister and Congress President met for over two hours to finalise names for the impending Cabinet reshuffle.
With Maran's resignation, the proposed reshuffle has now attained a sense of urgency.
Sources say the PM has already spoken to his other ally, Mamata Banerjee, to discuss about the Cabinet rejig. Sources also say while deciding on new faces in Team Manmohan, the Prime Minister and Sonia Gandhi will have taken several factors into account.
- The top four portfolios - Home, Finance, Defence and External Affairs - are unlikely to be disturbed for continuity in policy matters and efficiency
- Non-performing ministers need to be replaced by persons having clean image
- UPA has to fill the vacancy of A Raja, Dayanidhi Maran and Mamata Banerjee
- Poll-bound states like Uttar Pradesh, where Congress is going all out to revive itself, needs to be given more representation
- States like Assam, where Congress performed better than expected, need to be rewarded
- Sources say the reshuffle could see the inclusion of former allies like Lalu Prasad Yadav, and a decision on whether potential allies like Ajit Singh should be included
The proposed reshuffle comes at a time when the government is facing mounting criticism from the Opposition over corruption and a perceived paralysis in governance.
"Mere cosmetic surgery will not work," BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said.
"There are several people who have made their way to jail and more are waiting in line. What is a reshuffle going to change?" said A B Bardhan, CPI General Secretary.
But amidst all speculation of who's in and who's out, some seemed confident that they will board the new Cabinet bus.
Who's in and who's out finally is something we will get to know perhaps by early next week as sources say that's when the reshuffle is tentatively scheduled. But it's clear that the effort of this exercise is to find the right people for the right job.