It is that time of the year. In the run up to a new session of Parliament, and with one year of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government’s term completed, there is naturally some speculation about a reshuffle of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s Council of Ministers. This has been triggered by Union Food, Civil Supplies and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar’s reported request for a reduction in his ministerial responsibilities in the light of his election as president of the International Cricket Council. Mr Pawar also wants a couple of extra junior ministers. There is also the vacancy created by the ignominious exit of Shashi Tharoor and a couple of ministries, like culture, are waiting for a minister. It is entirely possible that Dr Singh will settle for a minor rejig, postponing any major changes. This is entirely understandable since there are no major political compulsions this year necessitating a shake-up of the Union Cabinet. That can precede or follow the major assembly elections of 2011 whose results will impact on the future of the UPA government. On the other hand, Dr Singh can take the view that in 2009 he was handed a sub-optimal team, retaining many non-performing ministers and inducting some whom he did not want to. Given that there has been considerable criticism, across the national media, that UPA-2 has wasted its first year in office and has failed to make an impact, and also given that the main opposition parties, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Left Front, are cosying up, trying to forge a Left-Right grand alliance, a case can be made for a major reshuffle.
Further, there is an entire new generation of Congress members of Parliament waiting to take on bigger ministerial responsibilities. Many of them may be waiting to join a Rahul Gandhi government, but that government is presently nowhere on the horizon. If the UPA-2 government will continue to be headed by Dr Singh, it is logical to assume that many of the party’s “younger” ministers and MPs would want greater ministerial responsibilities now, rather than later. How long will the 70-somethings run the government, even if at the very top the government’s two seniormost and most experienced leaders, Dr Singh and Pranab Mukherjee, will be expected by all to remain in saddle. Perhaps the time has come for a radical change that will revitalise the Manmohan Singh government. Indeed, Mr Gandhi should himself consider becoming a minister. After all, Indira Gandhi was willing to serve under Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri. The late Rajiv Gandhi’s precedent was an unfortunate one, created by the tragic circumstances of his elevation to prime ministership. There are other highly talented members of the Lok Sabha who can do a better job than some of the party satraps who secured ministerial berths last May. But it is not clear if Congress party president Sonia Gandhi has the stomach for a major reshuffle, given the range of minor revolts within the party she is already having to deal with. Between a minor and a major reshuffle, a case can always be made for a medium-sized one — targeted at key ministries that matter. Dr Singh knows who his performers are and who the non-performers in vital ministries. A measured operation can go a long way in improving his ministry’s image.