With Wednesday’s Cabinet reshuffle being a minor one, only three new faces have found their way into Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s team. and of the three, two have been ministers in previous governments which leaves K.C.Venugopal donning the mantle of “newness”.

The much awaited AICC reshuffle could take place any time following the Cabinet reshuffle on Tuesday. Congress sources said the party chief Sonia Gandhi has already completed the exercise in this regard and a formal announce is expected in the next two days.

The Union Cabinet reshuffle may have been designed to create an impact in Uttar Pradesh where Assembly elections are due next year, but the changes are unlikely to change the dwindling fortunes of the party in the state.

Rural development minister C.P. Joshi was shifted to the surface transport ministry as the top UPA leadership was unhappy with his performance since the government took over in 2009. Sources in the Congress party said Mr Joshi had been given the crucial rural development ministry in 2009 at the behest of AICC general secretary

After Prime Minister Manmohan Singh took off the “load” from agriculture minister Sharad Pawar’s shoulders by taking away the food and consumers affairs portfolio from the NCP chief, the new food and consumer affairs minister K.V. Thomas said controlling high food prices would be his top priority.

The main Opposition BJP, which has been attacking the UPA government on numerous issues including corruption, said the ministerial reshuffle on Wednesday failed to give any political message. The main Opposition said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has “only sent his ministers from one building to the other.”

Congress veteran from Kerala and minister of overseas Indian affairs Vayalar Ravi — who was given additional charge of the civil aviation ministry on Wednesday — said his priority areas were to make sure that national carrier Air India overcomes the economic crisis in which it is in, apart from making sure that all airlines operate flights

Torn between two groups within the party over the controversial issue of a separate state of Telangana, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday said there would be further consultations on the subject.

Faced with the prospect of the forthcoming Budget Session of Parliament not having a smooth run in view of the Opposition’s demand for a joint parliamentary probe (JPC) into the 2G spectrum scam allocation, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Wednesday that the government is willing to explore various approaches to end the Parliament deadlock.

Cocktail lore puts the origins of Bloody Mary in 1921 Paris. Fernand Petiot is usually credited with creating the first Bloody Mary at the New York Bar which later became Harry’s New York Bar. The place was frequented by American expatriates like Ernest Hemingway.