NEW DELHI: Four cabinet ministers are likely to be dropped in a ministerial reshuffle on Tuesday, which seeks to tone up the functioning of key ministries, massage a few hurt egos and brings in new faces.
Minister for north-east BK Handique, corporate affairs minister Murli Deora, tribal affairs minister Kantilal Bhuria and statistics minister MS Gill are likely to be dropped from the union cabinet in what may be seen as a substantive surgery given the modest expectations.
Kapil Sibal is likely to retain both the key portfolios that he has – telecom and HRD. Importantly, environment minister Jairam Ramesh, who holds independent charge, is up for elevation as cabinet minister and could get either rural development or roads and highways ministry. In case of his moving in to RD, Vilasrao Deshmukh could get science and technology.
That highways ministry is being considered a likely slot for Jairam shows the disappointment with incumbent CP Joshi who was given the charge only in the January reshuffle.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had in February promised a restructuring of the government. Indications are that there cannot be any change in the top four ministries – home, finance, external affairs and defence. But the exercise on Tuesday promises to be much bigger than what it had seemed in the runup, thanks to the concern in the government about the sluggish performance of key ministries which include social sector and infrastructure.
An indication of the nature of rejig can be gauged from the fact that the PM and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi held yet another round of discussion on Monday which may stretch into Tuesday morning by when the PMO must forward the names for the swearing in ceremony slated for 5 pm. Rashtrapati Bhavan was not forwarded any names till late evening.
AICC spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan is likely to be rewarded with independent charge. She could replace Jairam in environment ministry.
Sources said water resources and minority affairs minister Salman Khurshid could get a weightier portfolio. There are chances of his getting the law ministry in which case the incumbent Veerappa Moily may shift to corporate affairs ministry. Otherwise, Khurshid may just retain his existing portfolios. Murli Deora has already offered to resign from the cabinet where he holds the corporate ministry. His son Milind, an MP from Mumbai, is in for induction as a junior minister.
In case Kantilal Bhuria is dropped as tribal minister, having been appointed the Madhya Pradesh Congress president, Andhra MP Kishore Chandra Deo may come into the key slot. A tribal, hailing from a royal family on the borders of Andhra Pradesh and Orissa, Deo's chances have also brightened by the fact that A Sai Pratap, who is a junior minister from Andhra, is learnt to have been asked to quit.
Paban Ghatobar may be the likely replacement from Assam where Handique is likely to go out on health grounds while Charan Das Mahant, the solitary Congress MP from Chhattisgarh, may finally make it to the union ministry.
E Ahmed, who is MoS railways, will be elevated, at least to holding independent charge, possibly of ministry of overseas Indian affairs.
Mamata Banerjee's nominee Dinesh Trivedi, who is MoS health, will be elevated to Cabinet rank with the responsibility of railways -- the crucial infrastructure portfolio that the Trinamool chief held before winning the chief ministership of West Bengal. Trivedi's current assignment may go to another nominee of Mamata, Sudeep Bandopadhyaya.
DMK had till late on Monday not spelled out its preference for the two cabinet vacancies caused by resignations of A Raja and Dayanidhi Maran.
Others who may get elevation are Beni Prasad Varma and Gurudas Kamat, minister of state for home. Varma may get Cabinet rank while Kamat is tipped to get charge of civil aviation. Srikant Jena, minister of state for fertilizers, is also likely to get cabinet rank.
Charan Das Mahant, the solitary Congress member of Lok Sabha from Chhattisgarh, is also mentioned as a possible induction as minister of state. The coming polls in Uttarakhand have raised the prospect of the elevation of minister of state for labour Harish Rawat or the induction of Vijay Bahuguna. Sikh MPs from Punjab, another state which goes to polls next year, were hopeful of making it to the ministry this time. Raj Babbar, MP from UP, is also in line for induction.
Minister for north-east BK Handique, corporate affairs minister Murli Deora, tribal affairs minister Kantilal Bhuria and statistics minister MS Gill are likely to be dropped from the union cabinet in what may be seen as a substantive surgery given the modest expectations.
Kapil Sibal is likely to retain both the key portfolios that he has – telecom and HRD. Importantly, environment minister Jairam Ramesh, who holds independent charge, is up for elevation as cabinet minister and could get either rural development or roads and highways ministry. In case of his moving in to RD, Vilasrao Deshmukh could get science and technology.
That highways ministry is being considered a likely slot for Jairam shows the disappointment with incumbent CP Joshi who was given the charge only in the January reshuffle.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had in February promised a restructuring of the government. Indications are that there cannot be any change in the top four ministries – home, finance, external affairs and defence. But the exercise on Tuesday promises to be much bigger than what it had seemed in the runup, thanks to the concern in the government about the sluggish performance of key ministries which include social sector and infrastructure.
An indication of the nature of rejig can be gauged from the fact that the PM and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi held yet another round of discussion on Monday which may stretch into Tuesday morning by when the PMO must forward the names for the swearing in ceremony slated for 5 pm. Rashtrapati Bhavan was not forwarded any names till late evening.
AICC spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan is likely to be rewarded with independent charge. She could replace Jairam in environment ministry.
Sources said water resources and minority affairs minister Salman Khurshid could get a weightier portfolio. There are chances of his getting the law ministry in which case the incumbent Veerappa Moily may shift to corporate affairs ministry. Otherwise, Khurshid may just retain his existing portfolios. Murli Deora has already offered to resign from the cabinet where he holds the corporate ministry. His son Milind, an MP from Mumbai, is in for induction as a junior minister.
In case Kantilal Bhuria is dropped as tribal minister, having been appointed the Madhya Pradesh Congress president, Andhra MP Kishore Chandra Deo may come into the key slot. A tribal, hailing from a royal family on the borders of Andhra Pradesh and Orissa, Deo's chances have also brightened by the fact that A Sai Pratap, who is a junior minister from Andhra, is learnt to have been asked to quit.
Paban Ghatobar may be the likely replacement from Assam where Handique is likely to go out on health grounds while Charan Das Mahant, the solitary Congress MP from Chhattisgarh, may finally make it to the union ministry.
E Ahmed, who is MoS railways, will be elevated, at least to holding independent charge, possibly of ministry of overseas Indian affairs.
Mamata Banerjee's nominee Dinesh Trivedi, who is MoS health, will be elevated to Cabinet rank with the responsibility of railways -- the crucial infrastructure portfolio that the Trinamool chief held before winning the chief ministership of West Bengal. Trivedi's current assignment may go to another nominee of Mamata, Sudeep Bandopadhyaya.
DMK had till late on Monday not spelled out its preference for the two cabinet vacancies caused by resignations of A Raja and Dayanidhi Maran.
Others who may get elevation are Beni Prasad Varma and Gurudas Kamat, minister of state for home. Varma may get Cabinet rank while Kamat is tipped to get charge of civil aviation. Srikant Jena, minister of state for fertilizers, is also likely to get cabinet rank.
Charan Das Mahant, the solitary Congress member of Lok Sabha from Chhattisgarh, is also mentioned as a possible induction as minister of state. The coming polls in Uttarakhand have raised the prospect of the elevation of minister of state for labour Harish Rawat or the induction of Vijay Bahuguna. Sikh MPs from Punjab, another state which goes to polls next year, were hopeful of making it to the ministry this time. Raj Babbar, MP from UP, is also in line for induction.
