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Political Notes |
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Cabinet expansion on cards
With several vacancies in the Union Council of Ministers, an expansion and reshuffle of the Manmohan Singh Ministry is on the cards. Sources say that the much delayed exercise may take place soon now that Parliament’s winter session has ended on Dec. 23. Despite serious efforts by Manmohan Singh, the reshuffle has been delayed again and again for some reason or the other. Before the current Parliament session, the Prime Minister’s initiative to carry out the exercise was dashed with RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav objecting to it being done before the completion of the poll process in Bihar.
Though the reshuffle will be largely a Congress-centric affair, two of the entrants are expected to be from other UPA constituents, Jai Prakash Narain Yadav, an RJD MP who recently resigned as Minister of State for Water Resources following an arrest warrant against him from a Bihar court, will be replaced by someone from his party quota.
Similarly, Soren, who had quit the cabinet before the Jharkhand elections, is now keen to return to the Union Cabinet. Despite a series of meetings between he Prime Minister and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi to finalise the list, the reshuffle has got postponed repeatedly. Originally, the Congress leadership intended the revamp to be a shock treatment to weed out the non-performing and inject a dose of fresh blood to streamline the team. But the inability to effect the reshuffle has created negative vibes raising questions about the Congress leadership’s approach to governance.
Power Minister P.M. Sayeed passes away
Union Power Minister and veteran parliamentarian, P.M. Sayeed, died of a heart attack in a Seoul hospital on December 18. Sixty-five year old Sayeed had been undergoing treatment for enlargement of the liver and symptoms of malignancy at the South Korean hospital. This was Sayeed’s third visit to Seoul in the last two months for medical treatment.
Widely respected across the political spectrum for his acumen as a Parliamentarian, Sayeed was elected to the Lok Sabha from Lakshadweep a record number of nine times, beginning 1971. He had been its member in 1977, 1980, 1984, 1989, 1991, 1996, 1998, and 1999 before his victory march was ended by JD(U)’s Muthu Koya in the 2004 general election.
Sayeed, considered close to the Gandhi family, was one of the most prominent Congress faces to rise from the ranks to hold ministerial posts at the Centre on three occasions.
P.A. Sangma back in NCP
Former Lok Sabha Speaker Purno A. Sangma has returned to the Nationalist Congress Party, which he had floated along with Sharad Pawar six years ago. Sangma who resigned his Tura Lok Sabha seat earlier this year, contested the 2004 general election on the Trinamul Congress ticket.
Welcoming his “homecoming”, Pawar said the re-admission was a formality as Sangma had been working with the party for the past one year in the North East. Sangma would be the party candidate whenever a by election was held for the seat.
Sangma said his quitting the NCP was a “closed chapter.” He said Trinamul Chief Mamata Banerjee was informed of his moves. Differences over Congress president Sonia Gandhi were over the day she turned down the offer to become Prime Minister, Sangma said.
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