TNI Bureau: Ever since the exit of Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress from the UPA-II Government, the Union Cabinet is likely to have a big reshuffle. Prime Minister will not have much difficulty in accommodating more than eight MPs as the Cabinet ministers since many ministers are presently holding the dual charges.
Dr. Manmohan Singh on Tuesday despatched minister of state in the PMO V Narayanasamy to meet DMK chief M Karunanidhi and make the offer of two cabinet or a few minister of state berths in the Council of Ministers(CoM). But Karunanidhi conveyed to the minister that he was at the moment not interested in recommending any party representative for the Union Cabinet. The DMK with 18 representatives in the Lok Sabha is the Congress’ largest ally.
Next to DMK, the National Congress Party has 9 MPs, which may get another berth in the CoM. If it happens then, the general secretary of the NCP Tariq Anwar might be included.
Meanwhile, a good number of Congress MPs are expected to join the CoM. But Rahul Gandhi does not appear interested in joining the government as he wants to be a king-maker in pushing a couple of young faces into the ministry.
However, names of Pradeep Majhi from Odisha, Meenakshi Natarajan from Madhya Pradesh, Jyoti Mirdha from Rajasthan, Manicka Tagore from West Bengal and party spokesman Manish Tiwari are in circulation as Rahul’s candidates for the ministerial berths.
Besides Rahul’s candidates, former Rajya Sabha deputy chairman K Rahman Khan, who has been organising the Muslim MPs and leaders to rally on issues concerning the Muslims, is tipped to get the ministerial berth. There was also speculation in the media that Congress general secretary and chairman of the AICC media cell Janardan Dwivedi and, Chairman of the National Commission for Schedule Castes, PL Punia are joining the Cabinet.
Former Ministers like Shashi Tharoor and Renuka Choudhury may be recalled. Inclusion of film star and Rajya Sabha MP Mr. Chiranjeevi , five time MP-Gurudas Kamat, Maharahtra Stalwart Narayan Rane, are not ruled out.
Srikant Jena, Sachin Pilot and Jyotiraditya Scindia, keeping in mind the role they can play in Odisha Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh respectively in forthcoming Assembly elections, may be promoted to the Cabinet.
In order to counter Mamata banerjee, the PM may play a balancing act in West Bengal by inducting Deepa Dasmunshi, wife of bedridden Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi, and the most active Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury into the CoM.
Others who may leave the government are Steel Minister Beni Prasad Verma for inefficiency and Agatha Sangma for campaigning for her father Purno A Sangma despite Pranab Mukherjee being the UPA candidate in the presidential election.