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It's a judicious mix of experience and youth
Jayanthi Natarajan
MP and AICC Spokesperson
No cabinet reshuffle is a stand-alone exercise. It is always part of an
ongoing process of putting together the best possible team to deliver a
successful agenda of growth, development and good governance. This latest
reshuffle has exactly the same import.
There has been feverish discussion in some sections of the media that this was
an attempt to give the Cabinet a youthful look, and to that extent, has been
half-hearted. The BJP has predictably put forward its conspiracy theory, and
spoken darkly about constitutional improprieties.
The argument that this reshuffle was a half-hearted exercise, in terms of the
youth component, is meaningless. The PM exercises his prerogative to induct
ministers, depending on their talent and capacity to contribute. There can be
no arbitrary yardstick regarding how many young ministers will make a Cabinet
youthful.
The assumption that the reshuffle did not go far enough in inducting young
people is a perfect example of media speculation, and conclusions drawn from
that very speculation. It is also unfair to MPs who are over 40 years of age,
and have contributed a great deal to the party and society. Any Cabinet should
have a judicious mix of experience and youth.
There is absolutely nothing in the Constitution of India that militates against
the appointment of M S Gill as minister. The BJP has made it a point to
denigrate constitutional functionaries and institutions to further their own
political agenda.
Whenever a diversionary tactic is required to deflect attention from their own
sins of commission and omission, the BJP immediately targets a constitutional
functionary. No institution has been spared, including the President of India,
the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, and various election commissioners. This is
perhaps part of the political genes of the BJP.
Certainly, the Indian National Congress will never pollute or dilute any
constitutional institution with a political taint, and all allegations to the
contrary are politically motivated. The prime minister has put together an
exceptionally good team, and it will continue the excellent record of
performance which has been achieved over the last four years.
_______________________________________________________________
There's no holistic vision guiding the reshuffle
Ravi S Prasad
BJP Spokesperson
The recent ministerial reshuffle carried out by the Congress-led UPA
government is nothing more than an ad hoc patchwork. The absence of honest and
objective appraisal of governance, which underpins the reshuffle exercise is,
indeed, unfortunate. That is compounded by the fact that such lack of honesty
has been displayed by the government in its fourth year of existence.
Today, food insecurity and shortages and spiralling commodity prices are the
biggest issues afflicting the nation. Has the prime minister carried out a hard
candid look at the performance of ministers responsible for the mess?
Many key growth-oriented policies are either in cold storage or held up by
unnecessary roadblocks. Of particular concern is the state of affairs under the
coal and energy ministries, considering that the former is helmed by none other
than the prime minister.
Another issue of burning importance is internal security. Although so many
voices of concern have been raised both within the Congress and its allies,
they do not seem to have informed the reshuffle exercise. And then theres the
case of fertilisers: all states ruled by non-UPA governments have been
complaining of discrimination in the allocation of fertilisers. There has been
no examination of why these consignments did not reach hapless farmers on time.
Interestingly, there only seems to be a sole consistent casualty of the
reshuffle, which is the rather voluble Mani Shankar Aiyar. As far as I can
comprehend, there is absolutely no political and administrative judgement or a
holistic vision guiding this reshuffle. Of course, there is the very hyped
refusal by Rahul Gandhi to become a minister. Something that the Congress has
been touting as yet another instance of renunciation by the dynasty.
Therefore, an exercise like ministerial reshuffle, which is the prerogative of
the prime minister, is being unethically used to bolster the image of the
dynasty among the electorate.
As for Rahul Gandhi, the less said the better. He is yet to make any kind of
tangible impact in Parliament, this after having failed miserably to garner and
consolidate electoral gains for the Congress in Uttar Pradesh. We can well
imagine what his performance as a minister would have been like.
(courtesy: The Economic Times)
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