BackManmohan Singh inducts 8 new ministers in Cabinet reshuffle
Sis Ram Ola, K.S. Rao, Oscar Fernandes among new ministers; PM hints will make way for Rahul if UPA wins again
Premium(Ramesh Pathania/Mint)
New Delhi: Contrary to expectations, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s cabinet expansion on Monday was neither a major overhaul nor did it induct young leaders into the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.
Among the eight new ministers named were 85-year-old Sis Ram Ola, Oscar Fernandes (72), K.S. Rao (69) and Girija Vyas (67), all inducted as cabinet ministers.
Manikrao Gavit, Santosh Chowdhury, J.D. Seelam and E.M.S. Natchiappan were inducted as ministers of state.
Ola and Vyas are from Rajasthan, which faces an election later this year.
“This is typical of Congress. Its leadership thinks by inducting two or three leaders from a state, you can win that state or people of Rajasthan can be bribed like that. It’s not correct," said political analyst and columnist Ramachandra Guha.
The cabinet expansion will not make an impact on the coming elections, he said. “Taking some people out and putting some in would have more impact. Symbolic popular measures will not have any impact."
The Union government is battling both a slow economy and a series of corruption charges ahead of elections in some states this year and the national polls in 2014.
The cabinet expansion came a day after Congress president Sonia Gandhi revamped the party organization by inducting some young leaders, an initiative that’s seen as being led by vice-president Rahul Gandhi and raising hopes that the government, too, would similarly hand over ministerial responsibilities to some young leaders.
Guha, however, does not believe that the induction of young leaders would have been effective. “No one in Rahul Gandhi’s generation can be given major responsibilities," he said.
The strength of the council of ministers is now 77.
The expansion-cum-reshuffle of the council of ministers was necessitated by the exit of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) from the UPA in protest against the government’s Sri Lanka policy, as well as the resignations of Pawan Kumar Bansal, Ashwani Kumar, Ajay Maken and C.P. Joshi.
Bansal resigned as railway minister following allegations of bribery against his nephew, and Kumar quit as the law minister after he was accused of seeking to influence the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the probe into irregularities in coal block allocation. Joshi and Maken have been inducted into the All India Congress Committee.
JD(U) alliance
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who expressed confidence that the UPA will return to power for a third consecutive term, hinted he would make way for Rahul Gandhi if the party returned to power.
“I have always said, as far as I am concerned, I would be very happy to see Rahul step into my shoes. I always believed we will have a third go at the elections as the UPA, and people will again repose their faith in us," he told reporters in Rashtrapati Bhavan after the swearing in ceremony of the new ministers. “Rahul Gandhi is a natural leader of the Congress. I hope he will lead the UPA. I always believe Rahul is fit enough and has the right qualities of a leader."
Singh also dismissed the view that Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, recently anointed as the chief of principal opposition Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s ) election campaign, had the potential to hurt the UPA’s prospects. “Modi is no threat. People of India know what he stands for... People of India have to draw their own conclusion what they stand for," Singh said.
At the same time, the Prime Minister sent signals to Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar—whose Janata Dal-United has broken its 17-years-old alliance with the BJP over Modi’s appointment as chairman of the poll campaign—that the Congress was keen to have electoral ties with the party.
“In politics, there are no permanent friends or enemies; we will decide as the situation evolves. We have always sought the support from right-thinking parties," Singh said when asked about the possibility of a Congress-JD(U) alliance.
Maken, now appointed chairman of the Congress communications department, also did not rule out the possibility of an alliance with the JD(U).
“We have always been open to like-minded and secular parties. The committee headed by (defence minister A.K.) Antony will deal with the coalition issues. We are carefully watching the developments in Bihar," Maken said.
Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!
