Difficult days for Jairam ahead
Repeated efforts by minister for environment and forests (MoEF) to meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi to explain exactly what he said in his “off the cuff remarks” in China have been to no avail.
So far, no meeting has taken place and the Congress high command has conveyed to the minister that he should stay “strictly within party limits”.
Sonia Gandhi’s unwillingness to meet Mr Ramesh is indicative of her displeasure with him, Congress sources point out, since the minister had in one stroke succeeded in embarrassing three key wings of the government including the home ministry, the defence and the external affairs ministries.
On his return from China, Mr Ramesh had written a letter to Mrs Gandhi apologising for his actions causing the government embarrassment, but had explained that these had been spoken off the record. He, however, denied he had offered to resign. A Congress spokesperson also confirmed that no such resignation had been tendered.
While the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has already ticked him off on Monday itself, no reference was made to this specific instance in Thursday’s Cabinet meet where Mr Ramesh was also present.
Mr Ramesh realises only too well that he has no political mass base and his support within the party comes largely from the good will he enjoys with both Mrs Gandhi and Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi.
Mr Ramesh has in the past told this reporter, “I have no friends in the Congress apart from the Prime Minister, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.”
Both the Prime Minister and the UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi are expected to take a final call on his fate following the celebrations of the first anniversary of the UPA-2 government on May 22.
Prior to his China visit, senior Congress sources had conveyed to Mr Ramesh that both the Prime Minister and the Congress president were favourably inclined in renominating him with a Rajya Sabha ticket.
The situation has inexorably tilted against him and today, there is a question mark about both his ministerial berth and his Rajya Sabha nomination.
Mr Ramesh is also reported to have alienated key business houses many of whom have been gunning for him for having taken “pro-environment” decisions.
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