After two days of intensive but inconclusive consultations, Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi have set themselves a deadline to resolve the deadlock over cabinet expansion.
After two days of intensive but inconclusive consultations, prime minister Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi have set themselves a deadline to resolve the deadlock over cabinet expansion.
The swearing-in ceremony will take place on Thursday at 11:30am. It is expected to be an elaborate exercise with as many as 55 ministers taking the oath of office. This will bring the number of ministers in the second UPA administration to over 70.
The unofficial announcement of a time for the ceremony suggests that the two leaders are getting close to an agreement on names. But the delay has created heartburn in the Congress. Senior leaders are unhappy about three things: that many ministers have been left hanging without portfolios four days after being sworn in; that allies are getting favoured treatment and portfolios; and that some Rajya Sabha members have been elevated to the cabinet when elected senior MPs are still waiting for berths.
The precise reasons for the delay are known only to Singh, Gandhi, her political secretary Ahmed Patel, and defence minister AK Antony, who sat in on the talks. But there is speculation that they were finding it difficult to balance the party’s compulsions with the demands of governance.
Singh has been insisting on inducting only those who enjoy a clean image and can deliver. But “we need to consider our political interests and get the regional and social balance right,” said a senior party official.
Many leaders are also upset at the composition of the first list of ministers. The perception is that this is Singh’s A-team. “This is the first time we have been made to feel that some people are more equal than others in the party,” said a senior ministerial aspirant.
Questions are also being asked, albeit behind closed doors, about the wisdom of keeping cabinet ministers in the dark about their portfolios. “It feels strange that while some of our colleagues have been allotted their portfolios, the rest of us are sitting at home, not knowing which ministry one is going to head,” said one minister.
There is also anger in the party over the “generous” attitude of the leadership towards allies. Many see the compromises made with the DMK and the NCP as
capitulation. Congress leaders from Maharashtra have objected to the NCP being not only allowed to retain the number of ministers it had in the previous government, but also to hold on to its ministries, though its state tally fell by one.
The endless rounds of negotiation and the ponderous nature of the decision-making process in the party have taken the sheen off the 2009 verdict. The heady feeling induced by the resounding victory has given way to resentment and restlessness and serious questions are being asked about some of those who have already made it to the cabinet. Former Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh is miffed that Anand Sharma, a Rajya Sabha member, was made a cabinet minister while he is cooling his heels after winning a Lok Sabha seat.
Discordant voices are also emerging from the Karnataka unit of the party over the surprise induction of SM Krishna, also a Rajya Sabha member. Mallikarjun Kharge was asked to contest the Lok Sabha polls and move to Delhi on the promise that he would be made a minister at the Centre. He has conveyed his displeasure at Krishna’s appointment.
Things are no better in Rajasthan, with several elected Lok Sabha members openly questioning the wisdom of making CP Joshi a cabinet minister. Joshi’s appointment is particularly intriguing because he is a first-time Lok Sabha member. Before winning the parliament election, he had lost the assembly poll in December by one vote. “There has to be some criteria. We have served the party for decades, yet we are being ignored,” said a Rajasthan MP.
Thursday’s swearing-in will indicate whether the post-election summer of discontent will end or continue to fester.
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