The much-talked-about reshuffle/expansion of the Union Council of Ministers is likely to take place on July 2 as the Cabinet Secretariat has been tipped off by the Prime Minister’s Office to work out details with Rashtrapati Bhavan for that day.
Sources in the government, revealing this, said, “We have been asked to work out the details with Rashtrapati Bhavan in advance as the exercise is expected to be a major one with many new ministers likely to be inducted into the Council of Ministers.”
Prime Minister Man-mohan Singh had in January expressed dissatisfaction with the minor reshuffle and expansion then undertaken. Dr Singh had also hinted that he intended to reduce the average age of his Cabinet.
The Prime Minister last week began reviewing the performance of his ministerial colleagues. Prominent among these are the railway and communications ministries to which he is keen to bring fresh faces with clean records, people who can help rebuild the UPA government’s image, sources said.
It is reliably learnt that as part of the process Dr Singh also met overseas Indian affairs minister Vayalar Ravi, who is also in charge of civil aviation, HRD minister Kapil Sibal, who also holds communications portfolio, and a few others.
Sources disclosed that it is almost certain that the top three — finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, home minister P. Chidambaram and defence minister A.K. Antony — will continue in their ministries. But nothing could be said with certainty about the continuation of external affairs minister S.M. Krishna, they added.
The industry and commerce ministry, helmed by Mr Anand Sharma, and Mr Jairam Ramesh’s environment ministry will be among a few which will be keenly watched in the run-up to the reshuffle.
Among the allies, the government has to decide on the fate of textiles minister Dayanidhi Maran as reports say the CBI is examining charges made by industrialist C. Sivasankaran against him on the allocation of 2G spectrum. With Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee vacating the railway ministry for the West Bengal chief ministership, the portfolio needs to be given to someone. Ms Banerjee, however, has asked for two ministers of state with independent charge and one other ministerial berth in lieu of the railway ministry that she has vacated.