New Delhi: The Cabinet will be reshuffled tomorrow evening - sources at Rashtrapati Bhawan say the President and her team have been alerted to the swearing-in. The actual reshuffle will be less dramatic than anticipated, suggest sources in the government.This morning, Dr Manmohan Singh met with UPA President Sonia Gandhi at his home where they reportedly finalised his new list of ministers.
Sources say on the menu for tomorrow is the swearing-in of three cabinet ministers, four ministers of State with Independent Charge, and six Ministers of State.
Beni Prasad Verma, currently Minister of State for Steel, is expected to be elevated to Cabinet rank. And E Ahamed of the Indian Union Muslim League is likely to be made a Minister of State with Independent Charge. He is currently a minister of state for external affairs.
Film actor Raj Babbar, who did the Congress proud by winning the high-profile Firozabad seat in a 2009 by-election defeating Dimple Yadav, the wife of Akhilesh Yadav and daughter-in-law of Mulayam Singh Yadav, is likely to become a minister. This is Babbar's first Lok Sabha term as a Congressman. He was earlier a member of Mulayam's Samajwadi Party.
The PM told editors two weeks ago that his government is perceived as India's most-corrupt government ever; the reshuffle was originally expected to address that, with the removal of under-performing ministers, and the induction of younger faces.
As of now, Milind Deora is the young face expected to be inducted in this minor reshuffle. Milind's father Murli Deora had quit as Petroleum Minister last week citing old age as the reason. There was much speculation then that Milind, a second-term MP, would get a ministerial position.
After two major accidents over the weekend in which more than 40 people were killed and more than 100 injured, a priority will be to announce a new Railways Minister. Mamata Banerjee who held the post till she was elected Chief Minister of West Bengal has made it clear that her party, the Trinamool Congress (TMC), expects to hold on to the portfolio. Dinesh Trivedi of her party, at present the minister of state for health is expected to be elevated to Cabinet rank. Mamata was the only Trinamool minister with a Cabinet rank before she quit to take over as the Chief Minister of West Bengal. Sudip Bandopadhyay of her party is likely to be inducted as a minister of state.
Balancing the needs of another important ally - the DMK - will also factor heavily into the reconfiguration of the Cabinet. Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee met on Saturday in Chennai with DMK Chief M Karunanidhi, whose party has seen two Union ministers exit since November. (Read: Pranab offers 2 Cabinet berths to DMK, Karunanidhi reluctant, say sources) First, A Raja quit after charges of corruption (he is now in jail); then last week, Dayanidhi Maran resigned as Union Textiles minister, again for charges of corruption over his term as Telecom Minister from 2004-2007 (Mr Raja had taken over Telecom from him). The DMK has so far said it would not like any replacements for Mr Maran or Mr Raja- a stand that has the Congress worried that its Southern ally wants to exit the UPA and provide external support.
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