No.2 in Cabinet? PC or Antony

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A race for the Union Cabinet number two berth is on between home minister P. Chidambaram and defence minister A.K. Antony.

Congress managers are also finding it difficult to decide on the next Leader of the Lok Sabha. The names doing the rounds include Chidambaram, Sushilkumar Shinde and Kamal Nath.

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi is ruled out as he is not a Cabinet minister and is in no hurry to join the government at this juncture.

Speculation is also rife about an imminent Cabinet reshuffle and whether a full-fledged finance minister will be brought in after Parliament’s Monsoon Session, beginning later this month.

While some mention Chidambaram’s name in this context, others insist that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will continue to retain charge of the finance portfolio. Some other names doing the rounds are those of Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Kamal Nath and C. Rangarajan.

The Congress leadership is looking at various options for the government’s number two. Some feel elevating Mr Antony “will be politically prudent and safer, as the defence minister is low-profile and completely non-controversial”. They are “sceptical” about Mr Chidambaram as Leader of the Lok Sabha following the “2G controversies”.

A senior Congress leader said: “Making Chdiambaram Leader of the House could unite the entire Opposition”. Given that the party is struggling over rising prices and corruption issues, the need is felt for a Leader of the House “who is able to take the Opposition into confidence, if need be”.