Political Diary

New Delhi, 22 January 2011

PM Reshuffles Team

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING

By Poonam I Kaushish

It was billed as an exercise to give a much-needed make-over to a battered UPA II Government. Pummeled by a united Opposition onslaught over corruption charges, ministerial bickering and tussle between the Manmohan Singh-led Administration and Sonia Gandhi’s Congress. At the end, the first reshuffle of the Council of Ministers, 18 months after it returned to power in May 2009, turned out to be much ado about nothing. Of putting old stale wine in more decayed bottles!

It saw the induction of three new faces, elevation of five Ministers, three to Cabinet rank, and easing the burden of Ministers holding more than two portfolios. Sadly, if the Prime Minister’s aim was to bridge his team’s widening credibility deficit, infuse meritocratic fresh talent with out-of-the box thinking and send a message of efficiency it failed miserably.

No Ministers were dropped for non-performance, graft or crony capitalism but merely ‘kicked upstairs’ or shunted elsewhere. More. The exercise ended up as a retrogressive division of Ministries along regional, casteist, quota-type politics. Revealing more than it concealed: a severe talent-deficit within the Congress whereby Manmohan Singh was hamstrung in reshuffling his pack.

Two, the Party’s focus is to close ranks and resist the Opposition onslaught in the ensuing Budget session of Parliament. Three, already grappling with Andhra MPs’ threatening to pull out thus endangering the Government, wisdom did not dictate a prudent to rock the ministerial boat and open another front of disgruntled Ministers by sacking them.

However, if sacking of Ministers was avoided to preempt the possibility of internal strife in the Party, the half-hearted reshuffle may not achieve the purpose. The opposition to Manmohan Singh and his Government within the Congress is more potent than even the Opposition parties. Remember the Digvijay Singh-Chidambaram, Kamal Nath-Jairam Ramesh, Prithviraj Chauhan- Jairam Ramesh  tu-tu-mein-mein. What to speak of Sonia-Singh and Sonia-Rahul disagreement over who should be in or out of Singh’s team. 

In the process, it has left a trail of sulking Ministers. Even a promotion to the Cabinet rank failed to cheer up Salman Khurshid. Expecting to take over the law portfolio from Veerappa Moily he got Water Resources. Virbhadra Singh made his anger known for being shifted from steel to micro, small and medium industries. “I was a Minster of State for Industries in Indira Gandhi Government’s in 1980,” he said. Beni Prasad Verma too joined the dissatisfied chorus. “I held a full-fledged Cabinet rank 14 years ago, today am only a MoS for steel with independent charge.” Ditto the case with Shrikant Jena who in 2009 was promised that justice would be done to him.

Murli Deora’s demotion from Petroleum to Corporate Affairs is due to his being a family friend of Reliance Chairman Mukesh Ambani, which has a huge presence in the oil sector. Khurshid too enjoyed close ties with Anil Ambani whereby his associate was reportedly appointed to a senior position in his group after he was made Corporate Affairs Minister.

Besides, one fails to understand logic of shifting those who were set to get the axe. Like M S Gill who loses sports, turns number cruncher with statistics and programme implementation, Moily continues as Law minister, and S M Krishna retains Foreign Affairs.

Also, the reshuffle throws up more questions than answers. The imprint of Sonia and fierce internal Congress politics was on display in the reshuffle. Kerala's Vayalar Ravi is a good man. But is he good enough for civil aviation? How will CP Joshi manage road, transport and highways on being shunted out of rural development where his "intemperate" work style messed up things?

Murli Deora's transfer from petroleum to corporate affairs has also raised eyebrows. In his new role, he'd be less of a patron and more of a facilitator. Leaving most wondering whether they were being punished or rewarded? Vilasrao Deshmukh's slate isn't speck-less clean and he is not-known-for his efficiency. Under his rule Maharahstra's coffers touched rock bottom.

Further, that the forthcoming State elections in UP and Kerala were weighing heavy on Manmohan-Sonia-Rahul’s mind is evident from the fact that the decision to elevate both Sriprakash Jaiswal and Khurshid to Cabinet rank was done to offset criticism that there was no Cabinet Minister from the politically crucial State. Beni Prasad Verma’s inclusion is aimed at wooing Kurmis, who account for 6% of UP’s population. Along-with Jaiswal he would reach out to the broader non-Yadav OBC segment.

In the season of election, Kerala, the other poll-bound State also got a leg-up with the induction of KC Venugopal and E Ahmed as MoS.  Both were accommodated to send a message that a Christian and a Nair are acknowledged by New Delhi. No matter that States going to the polls will not base their vote according to whether 'their person' has been made a Cabinet minister or not.

As for key ally, Sharad Pawar’s NCP, despite Praful Patel’s elevation to Cabinet Minister of Heavy Industries he has lost the powerful Civil Aviation portfolio, the Party seems to have been cut down to size by the Congress. While Pawar has retained agriculture, he has lost the crucial Civil Supplies Ministry. Plus, his foe Vilasrao Deshmukh is now in his trajectory with rural development and will be used to checkmate Pawar in Maharashtra’s rural constituencies where rural distress caused by agrarian crisis is a major issue.

True, Manmohan Singh has promised a complete overhaul of his ministerial colleagues post Parliament’s Budget session. While holding a warning to poor performing Ministers, he has dangled a carrot to those hoping to find a berth specially the Congress baba log. Given that he intends lowering the minimum age of his brood in keeping with the practice the world over.

The tragedy of the entire exercise is that the Government continues to show its lack of purpose to improve its credibility. Not enough political measures have been either undertaken or hold out promise to tackle corruption and incompetence within the Government. Rendering the reshuffle aimless.

Clearly, the Grand Dame doesn't seem to have any fresh ideas for a holistic approach to solve the scores of problems in Government, Parliament and in the Supreme Court.  Revealing that Manmohan Singh-Sonia are not on a confident footing to face the Budget session and coming Assembly elections in several key States.

It remains to be seen whether politically and governance-wise this ministerial re-jig will be able to perform perceptively different than the earlier one. Raising a moot point: Is Sonia beginning to lose her grip over the political situation?

True, a purposeful Cabinet reshuffle may not have changed things overnight but it could have kick-started the change that the aam aadmi is waiting for. It could have been a contributing factor in the grand strategy to tackle immediate issues including skyrocketing prices, burgeoning inflation, corruption, Telangana unrest and the issue of delivery of the Government's ambitious programmes like the NREGS.

In sum, notwithstanding the fact that the Government is far from unstable and elections are a good three years away, the harsh truth is that the Government is not only rudderless but worse even clueless that it is rudderless. The Congress triumvirate of Manmohan-Sonia-Rahul has lost an opportunity of cleaning its stables. They could have afforded to show a more combative mood. Economist Manmohan Singh needs to remember that a ministerial formation is also about the brand showing the product. What does he have to offer?  ---- INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)