Cabinet reshuffle: a bridge too far?

With the Prime Minister’s interaction with five handpicked editors now behind us, the political grapevine in the national capital is focused once again on the much anticipated reshuffle of the union cabinet. The subject is the cause of intense debate, animated speculation and a mix of hope and apprehension. Who is likely to be inducted and promoted and who are likely candidates to get the boot! In his trademark unassuming and rather boring manner, the prime minister chose not to either add or subtract anything from the ongoing speculation in his interaction with the editors on Wednesday. [caption id=“attachment_34597” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi at a recent Congress Working Committee meeting. Raveendran/AFP “] [/caption] When quizzed on the issue, Manmohan Singh said the “process was on” and it will be completed “soon”. He did not bother to elaborate on what he meant by “soon”. Will it be a few days or a few weeks? No word there from the PM. In another dampener of sorts, he even refused to get drawn into a discussion on whether the proposed reshuffle will be a “major” or a “minor” one. “It will be for you ( the editors) to judge,” was the Prime Minister’s masterly and sage like reply. It did have the desired result. Nobody got any wiser. And better still— like in most other things he attempts—there was enough scope to differently interpret his statement and add to the prevailing uncertainty, confusion and speculation on the subject. Nothing is happening in most of the key departments these days as even senior ministers remain unsure about their fate post the reshuffle. Even those who are reasonably certain about not being dropped are not sure whether they will retain their portfolio. It’s a pen down of sorts in most ministries as babus as well as their political masters await the outcome of the much awaited cabinet reshuffle. According to sources close to the prime minister he may not be in a tearing hurry to effect the reshuffle. There are several reasons for the PM not opting for a way forward which could later boomerang on him and become an example of “acting in haste and repenting at leisure”. According to our source even the widely reported two meetings between the PM and Sonia Gandhi to discuss the contours of a new cabinet did not actually take place. “There has actually been only one meeting on the issue. And it was not a one-on-one meeting without aides as reported by most media,” is what our source told us. In all probability the congress president’s political secretary, Ahmad Patel, was present in the PM-Sonia meeting to discuss changes in the cabinet. The Prime Minister fully realizes that this reshuffle —coming almost mid-way through his second stint at the helm and at a time when his government is under fire from all sides— may well be his last chance to energize his team and send a signal that he was firmly in command and meant business. He also wants to use the reshuffle to send a strong message that corruption, inefficiency and non-performance will also not go unpunished. Performance should also be rewarded in the same spirit. All of the above is easier said than done. Continue reading on the next page Even getting rid of a Dayanidhi Maran —under a cloud because of the Aircel-Maxis deal— is not easy. The Prime Minister is keen not to disturb the already shaky equation too much vis-à-vis the DMK, already smarting under the humiliation of an election defeat and the imprisonment of their leader’s daughter. The prime minister and congress leaders are trying to lean on the DMK leadership to withdraw Maran from the cabinet rather than forcing the PM’s hand at the time of the reshuffle. At least on one score the Prime Minister was successful in sending a strong message through the cabinet reshuffle exercise last time when portfolios of Murli Deora and Praful Patel were changed. The message, according to someone close to the PM, was to let the world know that Singh will no longer go soft on crony capitalism. This time around his task is even more difficult. Judged sternly on the two yardsticks of corruption and inefficiency, nearly two thirds of his ministerial colleagues may have to be shown the door. That option quite naturally is ruled out. But some message needs to be given. The question now is who will face the sack to become an example. Kamal Nath. Vilas Rao Deshmukh. Kanti Lal Bhuria. SM Krishna. The list can go on. Then there’s the issue of someone like the home minister, P Chidambaram, who makes no secret of his desire to shed his existing portfolio. If Chidambram gets to change his portfolio will the finance minister and the man widely seen as number 2 in the union cabinet, Pranab Mukherjee, get to retain his ministry. The Prime Minister is also under pressure to give a new look to his team and induct more youth in the government. There is quite a bit of pressure on timing as well as it’s a particularly hectic season for the government grappling with some crucial legislations. Ahead of the monsoon session of the parliament, the PM’s plate is full be it the food security act, the Jan Lokpal bill, amendments in the land acquisition bill or the NAC piloted controversial communal violence bill. “The pressures are huge and the expectations to effect a turnaround immense. The fact that he (PM) is not exactly spoilt for a choice only makes the exercise even more challenging,” says someone who enjoys both the confidence and the proximity of Manmohan Singh. Shall we hope to be a little more wise on this when the PM meets the next batch of editors. Is it supposed to be next week? Or sometime in the next one month? Well, perhaps realizing they won’t be invited again very soon for another limited edition interaction with the Prime Minister, none of the five editors asked Manmohan Singh anything about his next date with the media.