Cabinet reshuffle on the cards

According to sources in the Congress, the two leaders met on Sunday without any aides to initiate the process of substantial Cabinet reshuffle. Notably, previous reshuffle in January turned out to be a timid exercise, which involved mere rejig of ministerial portfolios.

This time the exercise can involve removal of non-performing ministers, induction of some new faces and reapportioning of responsibilities from those who have more than one charge.

Sources claim that in view of monsoon session of Parliament being delayed by two weeks, the Cabinet reshuffle may take place in two weeks from now.  The prime minister and Congress president, are likely to hold a series of meetings on the issue in the next few days.

Consultation were held with the alliance partners of United Progressive Alliance (UPA) on the issue since some of the Cabinet births belonging to them have fallen vacant. DMK leader A Raja resigned as telecom minister in November last in the wake of the 2G spectrum allocation scam. Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee resigned as railway minister in May after she was elected as West Bengal Chief Minister.

Embattled Congress is of the view that Cabinet reshuffle can be employed to send out a strong message on the part of the government halfway through the tenure.  The party hopes that the reshuffle involving removal of non-performing ministers and inducting of some good names will instill confidence in the dispensation which is cornered in the wake of political developments such as those related to the anti-graft Lokpal bill and corruption charges including the recent Comptroller and Auditor General’s draft report on alleged irregularities linked to gas exploration in the Krishna Godavari basin.