 "Cong goes for key oraganisational reshuffle, Cabinet rejig on Monday")
The long-awaited Congress organisational reshuffle took place unexpectedly on a wet Sunday afternoon, bearing the stamp of the new scion virtually at the helm of the party, Vice-President Rahul Gandhi.
Ironically the AICC reshuffle coincided with the heavy political fireworks from the Opposition camp as the Janata Dal (United) split from its 17-year-old alliance with the NDA.
Ironically the AICC reshuffle coincided with the heavy political fireworks from the Opposition camp as the Janata Dal (United) split from its 17-year-old alliance with the NDA.
Stepping into into poll mode( Assembly and 2014 general elections), the Congress reshuffle comes just before the much talked about Union Cabinet reshuffle which could take place as early as Monday.
The first signals of the AICC reshuffle came with the late night resignation of Ajay Maken, Minister for Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, on Saturday and Railway and Roads Minister CP Joshi on Sunday. While it was speculated that Maken’s resignation was a precursor to his assuming a crucial role in the all-important New Delhi Assembly polls; it was also known that he was now inarguably slated to take on greater organsational responsibilities.
With Gandhi calling the shots within the party, Maken was eminently suitable, being young and politically savvy, to take on the crucial role as the General Secretary in charge of the Media department which has now been rechristened as the Communication department. Maken replaces the old guard Janardhan Dwivedi.
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It was a given that a younger face, would be taking over the media wing as Gandhi has been in the process of revamping the party’s communication strategies, focusing on social media, online outreach through websites, blogs and reshuffling spokespersons. Congress MP Priya Dutt, will move up from being secretary for Mahila Congress to secretary under Maken in the Communication wing.
CP Joshi a known Rahul Gandhi confidant, was according to sources taken by surprise himself, as the decision to redraft him back into party work was a last minute call taken by the high command possibly as late as on Saturday. Prior to this Joshi was given to understand that he would be retaining the Railways portfolio and at the same time focusing on the crucial Rajastrhan Assembly polls, where Congress is likely to face a drubbing.
However, he has now been inducted in as General Secretary and entrusted with the important task of being the incharge of crucial states like West Bengal and Bihar, apart from Assam. Joshi will have the challenging task of negotiating the muddied political waters in the run up to 2014, in both Bengal and Bihar where former ally TMC would have to be skillfully handled as well as the changed political landscape in Bihar post the JD(U) – BJP split. With an eager RJD waiting in the wings to ally with the Congress, CP Joshi has his hands full for 2014.
It is another matter that Joshi was not seen as a particularly efficient Roads Minister, erring on the side of timidity. The UPA government is likely to opt for efficiency in the Railways Ministry as well.
Announcing the organizational reshuffle, senior Congress leader Janardan Dwivedi said, “Unlike in the past, now General Secretaries have been assigned states that are adjoining to each other and not in completely different regions of the country”, indicating to an obvious Rahul Gandhi stamp on the latest reshuffle.
Rahul Gandhi himself as Congress Vice President will be retaining the charge of all Frontal organisations which would include Youth Congress, NSUI, Seva Dal.
Several Congress leaders have been elevated and some noticeably dropped. Ambika Soni , who resigned as Cabinet minister in the last reshuffle and is known to be close to Congress President Sonia Gandhi, has been assigned the new task of managing the CPO (Congress President’s Office). In addition Soni will also be in charge of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand in the run up to 2014. None of these state re going for assembly elections in the near future and will need managing with a light hand.
Another Rahul Gandhi confidant who has been suitably rewarded in this rejig has been Madhusudan Mistry, who delivered the landmark Congress victory in the recent Assembly polls in Karnataka. Mistry’s painstaking efforts will again be in demand once he takes over as incharge of the political significant state of Uttar Pradesh in the run up to 2014, which alone calls the shots for 80 MPs. With BJP’s new Election Campaign chief Narendra Modi making it clear that UP is where he will train his efforts on, Mistry’s task seems to be cut out for him. He will also be in charge of the CEC.
Of the significant leaders who have been dropped include the not so young Birender Singh, GS Charak, Jagdish Tytler, D. Shandil, Oscar Fernandes, Mohsina Kidwai, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Jagmeet Singh Brar.
Janardan Dwivedi is now incharge of tasks that Fernandes used to hold – AICC meetings, sessions, departments etc.
What is significant is that Digvijay Singh’s earlier task of UP has now been handed over to Mistry and Singh would be charged with retaining the impossibly difficult task of managing Telengana agitation ridden Andhra Pradesh, as well as Goa and Karnataka.
Congress spokesperson Shakeel Ahmed has been entrusted with the challenging task of holding onto New Delhi while Sheila Diskhit completes three terms as CM. Adjoinging states of Haryana, Punjab and Chandigarh will also be under him.
Former Union minister Mukul Wasnik will be incharge of Tamil Nadu,Kerala, Puducherry and Lakshwadweep.
Mohan Prakash will be incharge of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
Congress Working Committee CWC, the highest decision making body of the party, its reshuffle was also announced with new inclusions- Ajay Maken, CP Joshi, Gurudas Kamat, Madhusudan Mistry, Mohan Prakash, and Luizinho Faleiro. Among the new Permanent invitees are Beni Prasad Verma, former PunjabCongress chief Capt. Amarinder Singh and SM Krishna.
It will now be a new Congress team that will be calling the shots under Rahul gandhi’s supervision at 24, Akbar Road although Sonia Gandhi officially will still be ta the helm of affairs.