Cabinet reshuffle likely after January: Sources
With his focus on a clean image Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is likely to reshuffle the Cabinet after January, sources inform CNBC-TV18. The PM is looking for a cohesive Cabinet, they add.
January 11, 2011 / 22:36 IST
An upset Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has decided to assert himself. To start with he is looking for a more cohesive cabinet. A reshuffle of the same is expected after January 14.
Stung by scams and uncontrolled price rise and runaway inflation being blamed on inactive ministries and ministers, PM and Sonia Gandhi want to go in for an overhaul. Performance and clean image will be the yardstick. Younger faces are expected to be brought in. Portfolios of food and agriculture minister Sharad Pawar could be split. With food inflation at a 23-week high, Pawar and the agriculture ministry have come in for tough criticism for not acting against hoarders and speculators on time. Pawar had earlier told the PM that he wanted to give up one portfolio.Poor performers like minister for rural development and panchayati raj CP Joshi and mines minister BK Handique could face the axe while corporate and minority affairs minister Salman Khurshid is expected to get a cabinet post.Congress MP Jyotiraditya Scindia is likely to be shifted to another ministry. The buzz is that he could be moved to external affairs to fill the vacancy that followed Tharoor's resignation.Telecom will remain with the Congress. Sibal is the minister after A Raja of DMK resigned following the 2G scam. With twin troubles of Jagan and Telangana in Andhra, the Congress is expected to move Ghulam Nabi Azad as Andhra in-charge. That could mean that he will have to give up the cabinet post. Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
