Information gap

The Cabinet reshuffle appeared to have taken the I&B Ministry by surprise

The Manmohan Singh government’s Cabinet reshuffle last Sunday – the biggest so far – appeared to have taken the information and broadcasting (I&B) ministry by surprise. Sometime last week, the ministry had scheduled for October 30 a meeting of the group of ministers on the media. Little did it imagine that by Sunday, the composition of the group would see a significant change — so much so that there would be a new I&B minister! Not surprisingly, the meeting was cancelled. The big question now is whether the group will be reconstituted, whether Finance Minister P Chidambaram will continue to head the group and the role of the new minister of state for the I&B ministry, Manish Tewari.