The Cabinet reshuffle by Mrs. Gandhi is an anticlimax. Popular expectations of a drastic surgery had been aroused by the dramatic manner in which she had asked for and secured the resignations of all her ministers. This had led the people to believe that she had decided on a major reshuffle which would involve the ouster of the corrupt and the incompetent, and the induction not only of experienced and respected Congress leaders who had briefly parted company with her in 1978 but also experts from outside the party. Since she had made this move, unprecedented in independent India, the impression had spread that the message of the party’s defeat in Andhra and Karnataka had gone home. Senior ministers themselves were shaken by the sweep of her decision. Not one of them was sure that he would retain his portfolio and, indeed, his place in the government. All this has turned out to be so much hogwash. The people are bound to feel greatly disappointed. And if Mrs. Gandhi had hoped to make an impact on the popular mind on the eve of the forthcoming polls in Delhi and Assam, she could not have been more maladroit. It has been a case of mountains being in labour and producing a tiny, little mouse.
It is difficult to say whether a relatively minor reshuffle was all she had in mind when she asked for the resignations of all her ministers or whether she developed cold feet later. Either way, it has been a futile exercise which can only damage the party and her own image further. From her actions it would appear that Mrs. Gandhi no longer possesses her old sure touch. For, if a minor reshuffle was all she either favoured or regarded possible, she should not have aroused popular expectations. And if she developed cold feet after making the first dramatic move, she has done so at considerable risk to her reputation for toughness. In the past, she is not known to have retreated in this fashion. She has done worse than missing an opportunity for spring cleaning which has been long overdue. She has created the impression of being indecisive and confused.
No one would dispute that the problem of corruption and incompetence has been particularly grave in the Congress (I)-administered states and that in New Delhi far greater mischief is being done by brazen power brokers with “right” connections than by the ministers. It can, therefore, be argued that the entire exercise was rather futile from the very start. But if a new beginning had to be made, it had to commence with the Union government. For Mrs. Gandhi’s prestige has been suffering considerably on account of the calibre of her team. Mrs. Gandhi held out the hope of finally giving the country a government that works only to dash it rudely.
Some of the changes she has made can, however, be commended. Both Mr VP Singh and Mr Vijayabhaskara Reddy, former chief ministers of UP and Andhra, are known to be men of integrity. Mr. Singh has served as a minister of state in the commerce ministry and should know his job. In any case, it is not particularly difficult to improve on Mr. Shivraj Patil’s lacklustre performance. Mr. Reddy is said to have been a competent Cabinet minister in Andhra and should do well at the Centre when he is a given a specific portfolio. Similarly, Mr. Buta Singh’s elevation represents recognition of his stewardship of the Asiad. It is not clear why Mr. Kedar Pandey has been dropped. Perhaps he and Mr Sitaram Kesri will play an important role in Bihar. Mr. Pandey has served as chief minister and Mr Kesri as party chief in that benighted state. Mr. VN Gadgil is a worth-while addition and so is Mr. RN Mirdha. One can take it that the other junior ministers who have been either promoted or sacked have deserved what they have got. But all these are minor and routine changes which, as in the past, could have been made without drama or fuss.
It is possible that some more changes will take place in the next few days. But that is not likely to change the overall position – that a great opportunity has been missed. Thus, in essence Mrs. Gandhi continues to face the problem of coping with the challenge to the Congress (I)and her leadership of the nation which the defeat in Andhra and Karnataka has only spotlighted. She will have to meet it before the poll to the Lok Sabha in just two brief years. There is not much time to lose if the country is not to be plunged into confusion and worse. As we have said before, the stake is enormously high and the effort has to be commensurate with it.