Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday carried out a minor reshuffle of his team, promoting Jairam Ramesh to Cabinet rank while stunning Veerappa Moily and Vilasrao Deshmukh by shifting them to lighter portfolios of corporate affairs and science and technology, respectively. Ramesh has replaced Deshmukh as the political in-charge of the rural development ministry, deemed crucial for the UPA’s flagship schemes. His job as environment and forest minister has gone to Jayanthi Natarajan in a move inspired by Singh’s growing concerns about tension between Jairam’s determined “green push” and the government’s growth objectives. Other changes include the elevation of Mamata Banerjee’s nominee Dinesh Trivedi as the new railway minister, and appointments of Rahul Gandhi’s aide Bhanwar Jitendra Singh and Milind Deora as ministers of state. Ramesh’s gain came at the expense of Deshmukh, who is not suspected to have any appetite for the “unpolitical” ministries of science and technology and earth sciences. The let-down appears complete considering that it was only in February that he was given the charge of the rural development ministry. Moily’s fall also seems equally steep. The fall of Moily, also a former CM, was steep, more so against the backdrop of the persistent speculation that he was headed for the HRD ministry. Viewed together with the eviction of Murli Deora, B K Handique, M S Gill and Kantilal Bhuria, the relocation of the two ex-CMs seems like an attempt to emphasize the importance of delivery. After the swearing-in ceremony, Singh said, “This is the last reshuffle before we go to polls. The exercise is as comprehensive as possible...(however) “in life, there is no finality. But, with the inability and aversion of the Congress leadership to touch the four big portfolios of finance, home, defence and external affairs, any future recast ought to be of a modest nature or one impelled by circumstances. Tuesday’s one—Singh’s second in UPA-II—turned out to be bigger than what had been anticipated. Seven ministers and two ministers of state have been removed. More importantly, the changes effected in individual ministries are for the better. Ramesh will be a huge improvement on Deshmukh. Natarajan’s appointment as environment minister may have been facilitated by concerns about “excesses” under her predecessor, but it is unlikely to mark a return to the days when the ministry either failed to enforce green regulations. The appointment of Salman Khursheed, besides serving the Congress’s needs for the UP elections, can help repair the communication with the judiciary almost non-existent under Moily. The suave lawyer also retains the charge of minority affairs. The tribal affairs ministry will be better off under Kishore Chandra Deo. His predecessor, Bhuria, was distracted after his appointment as the MP Congress chief. A Lok Sabha veteran, Deo will also be looking after the panchayati raj ministry. Ditto for Paban Singh Ghatowar. A politician of some standing from Assam, Ghatowar comes in his place of Handique, who had virtually become non-functional. His induction will also ensure better chemistry between the ministry and the Assam CM Tarun Gogoi. The induction of Rajiv Shukla in the parliamentary affairs ministry as MoS is an acknowledgement of the concern over poor floor management. Shukla will be complemented by Harish Rawat, MoS, labour, who has been given the additional assignment of parliamentary affairs. Rawat will be the second member from the LS to be looking after floor coordination in a season when the opposition has turned aggressive. The induction of Charan Das Mahant, the sole Congress MP from Chhattisgarh, gives the BJPruled state representation in the ministry.
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