Mystery shrouds Moily, Bharadwaj exclusion

If the list of those who were sworn in and later given portfolios represents the new Congress-led government’s A list, the omission of two important individuals is striking. Veerappa Moily was sworn in on Friday but on Saturday there was no sign of his portfolio, though he is likely to get Human Resource Development.

As the chief minister of Karnataka, not only did Moily set up the National Law School of India University in the state, besides several other educational institutes, he is also considered the chief architect of the new common entrance test system, an admission policy for technical education founded on merit, transparency and social justice. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh hailed his reports on administrative reforms, especially after 26/11 when he said the terrorist attack on Mumbai might have been averted had the report been heeded. So, why the delay in naming a key minister?

Hansraj Bharadwaj told colleagues he had got a call on Thursday at 11 am asking him to be present at the swearing-in and another at 12.30 asking him not to bother. “How can you humiliate like this a man who has stood by the (Gandhi) family,” asked a senior Congressman incredulously. “It will be double humiliation if he is included in the second round.”

However, the real story seems to be that Bharadwaj had failed to warn Congress President Sonia Gandhi of the loopholes in the office of profit law, as a result of which the National Advisory Council had to be wound up and she had to resign and fight the Rae Bareli election a second time. Insiders in the Congress said they had got some inkling of the party’s mood when Bharadwaj, who had always filed the affidavits for the family before elections, was not asked to do so this time.

The story of SM Krishna’s appointment is also unclear. Krishna has a hearing impediment that could become a problem as “we can arrange the seating here, but what about when these leaders are abroad”, asked a leader.

The message that the party is getting is that although Rahul Gandhi was not part of the consultations, there is a strong bias in the list of the 19 sworn in on Friday in favour of those who have been part of the youth wing of the Congress at one or other time, whether it is CP Joshi (Rajasthan) or Ambika Soni (Punjab).