Aiyar loses Sports to M S Gill, seven new faces include Prasada, Scindia

By dropping some ministers, the UPA leadership also sought to send out a strong signal to non-performing ministers. Six Ministers of State whose resignations were accepted today included Suresh Pachauri (Personnel), Dasari Narayan Rao (Coal), M V Rajasekharan (Planning), T Subbarami Reddy (Mines), Akhilesh Das (Steel), and Manikrao Gavit (Home). While the Rajya Sabha terms of Pachauri and Reddy run out this week, the other four were shown the door for lack of performance, said sources.

Mani Shankar Aiyar, who ruffled feathers inside and outside the Government by opposing the expenditure on the Commonwealth Games, was stripped of Sports and Youth Affairs. He, however, retains Panchayati Raj and Development of North Eastern Region.

MoS for Commerce Jairam Ramesh was given additional charge of Power, another indication that Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde continued to be in the reckoning as a likely successor of Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, notwithstanding Sonia Gandhi’s reassuring remarks about the stability of the state government today. Asked how stable the Maharashtra CM’s position was, Sonia said, “Very stable. Everybody is very stable.”

Overseas Affairs Minister Vyalar Ravi was given additional charge of Parliamentary Affairs that was earlier held by Dasmunsi who retains Information & Broadcasting portfolio. Ravi would be assisted by two Ministers of State in Parliamentary Affairs portfolio — V Narayanasamy in the Rajya Sabha and P K Bansal in the Lok Sabha. Bansal retains the Finance portfolio as well.

Rameshwar Oraon, who resigned his post as Additional Director General of Police to win Lohardagga Lok Sabha seat on a Congress ticket in 2004, had shot into limelight after he, as a police officer, arrested BJP leader LK Advani to halt his rath yatra in 1990 at Samastipur in Bihar. He was given charge of Tribal Affairs. Induction of this tribal MP from Jharkhand was meant to send out a message in the tribal belts of Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh.

Raghunath Jha was given Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises that was earlier held by Kanti Singh. Kanti Singh was given the portfolio of Tourism & Culture. Prithviraj Chavan, MoS, Prime Minister’s Office, was given additional charge of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, earlier held by Pachauri.

Shakeel Ahmad, who earlier held Communications & Information Technology portfolio, was given charge of Home. MoS for Chemicals & Fertilizers BK Handique was given additional charge of Mines.

Although the induction of Scindia and Jitin was projected as an attempt to send a message to the youth about the importance the Congress attached to them, especially after Rahul Gandhi’s arrival on the scene, the exercise was actually led by pure political reasons. Having ignored Scindia’s claims for the post of Madhya Pradesh PCC chief — in favour of Nehru-Gandhi loyalist Suresh Pachauri who, unlike the Guna MP, lacks a popular base — the Congress leadership was anxious to contain factionalism in the state unit.

... contd.

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