NEW DELHI: With the Parliament session over all attention is now centered on the expected Cabinet reshuffle that Prime Minister P-Narasimha Rao is likely to affect soon
The question that is doing the round among ministers is whether the Prime Minister will do a drastic surgery or Confine to minor adjustments with the introduction of a few experienced hands.
Induction of the Ajit Singh group of JD (A) into the Congress (I) last week has introduced a now clement in the exercise with senior party men wondering whether a ministerial berth is in the offing for the Jat LEADER who has been facing political wilderness for quite some time.
While there is still some doubt in the case of Ajit Singh party men across the spectrum believe that Ram Lakhan Singh Yadav whose breakaway JD (A) group saved the Rao Government during the last no-confidence motion will definitely be entering the Union Cabinet in the reshuffle.
From among the ruling pany MPs whose names are being mentioned as possible entrants include P. Chidambaram former Minister of State for Commence and Madhavrao Scindia former Minister for Civil Aviation Chidambaram who came clean by the JPC was fielded by the Government as one of its star speak~ ¢rs in the just concluded debate of the IPC report.
Scindia who resigned as Minister for Civil Aviation in the wake of a Russian aircraft crash at Palam is likely 1 be inducted into the Cabinet after a gap of more than a year.
Among ministers whose names are being mentioned for change of portfolios include Parliamentary Affairs Minister V.C. Shukla Personnel Minister Margaret Alva Minister of Commerce Pranab Mukherjee Minister for Communications Sukh Ram and Minister of Steel Santosh Mohan Dev Those who may be dropped from the Union Council of Ministers include External Affairs Minister Dinesh Singh Urban Development Minister Sheila Kaul and information and Broadcasting Minister K.P .Singh deo Sources maintained that Petroleum Minister Satish Sharma who recently came in for flak following Indian Express expose is unlikely to be dropped.
While Dinesh Singh is keeping different health Sheila Kaul’s poor parliamentary performance and lack: of attention to work is said to be the reason for her possible ouster Singh deo is said to have muddled up in decision making in key areas like Doordarshan and telecasting rights
Surprisingly certain quarters in the ruling party are also discussing possible drafting of Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh in gubernatorial assignment in the sensitive state of Jammu and Kashmir.
If that happens then Rao would be said to have considered a major surgery to his Council of Ministers.
Article extracted from this publication >> January 7, 1994
