Gujral Indicates Reforms Thrust In Cabinet Reshuffle

Prime Minister I K Gujral yesterday indicated a thrust towards more rapid liberalisation through a ministerial reshuffle that concentrated on the economy, particularly infrastructure, placing checks on some of the ministers that have sought to curb reform-oriented economics.

Janeshwar Mishra was shifted from water resources to take charge as Cabinet minister for petroleum and natural gas, thus clipping the wings of minister of state R Baalu, who has argued strongly against raising the prices of petroleum products.

Finance minister P Chidambaram was likely to be pleased with the removal of MP Veerendra Kumar, whom former prime minister H D Deve Gowda had appointed minister of state for finance. Kumar loses both finance and parliamentary affairs portfolios but gains the labour portfolio. Satpal Maharaj will go to the finance ministry as minister of state.

 

Gowda succeeded in preventing Gujral from shifting C M Ibrahim from civil aviation but Ibrahim will now share responsibility with the new minister of state, Jayanthi Natarajan, whom senior officials expect will be relatively pro-liberalisation. Natarajan has additional charge of parliamentary affairs.

Y K Alagh was shifted from planning to become the minister of state with independent charge of power. He replaces S Venugopalachari, who will work under Chaturanan Mishra in the ministry of agriculture. Ratnamala Dhareshwar Savanoor takes charge of planning and programme implementation.

M Arunachalam was shifted from labour to chemicals and fertilisers. Minister of state Shees Ram Ola, who had independent charge of the ministry, now has independent charge of water resources, which the new petroleum minister, Janeshwar Mishra, earlier held charge of. Raghubans Prasad Singh took over as minister of state with independent charge of the ministry of food and consumer affairs, which was under D P Yadav, the only minister in Gowdas government whom Gujral did not induct.

Animal husbandry, which was earlier under Singh, will now be under agriculture minister Chaturanan Mishra. S Venugopalachari, who was the minister of state for power, will now work under Mishra.

Veerendra Kumar has been given interim charge of urban affairs and employment until U Venkateswarulu, who is undergoing treatment at AIIMS, returns to work.

Apart from reshuffling these economic ministries, Gujral only appointed two new ministers of state to assist him in external affairs, Kamla Sinha and Saleem Shervani. Renuka Chaudhary took charge of health and family welfare, which Shervani was hitherto in charge of.

This reshuffle is Gujrals first assertion of authority since he took over on April 21. He first signalled his reform-oriented thrust by shifting Yogesh Chandra from civil aviation as secretary, animal husbandry. He then appointed E A S Sharma, who has enjoyed a long experience in power, as secretary, power. Gujrals concentration on infrastructure was reflected in the establishment of a Cabinet committee on infrastructure and the plan for a central electricity regulatory authority.

He now has the experienced Janeshwar Mishra, Y K Alagh, and Jayanthi Natarajan in charge of key infrastructure areas.

Natarajan and Arunachalams new charges mark gains for the Tamil Maanila Congress, which held out for a few days before agreeing to join the Gujral government.

Natarajans induction was a politically tricky step for Gujral, for the TMC Rajya Sabha member is technically still a Congress member. Gujral must have quietly got the nod from Congress chief Sitaram Kesri for inducting her and retaining Ola and Satpal Maharaj, both of whom remained in the government after their party, the Congress (Tiwari) merged with the Congress.

These decisions, and Gujrals obvious thrust towards liberalisation, could indicate closer cooperation between the Congress and the Gujral government and further marginalisation of the Left within the government.

Sherwani and Mishra mark gains for the Samajwadi Party. SP leader Beni Prasad Verma has not been shifted from telecommunication, as had been speculated some time ago.

Within his bitterly divided party, the Janata Dal, Gujral remained neutral.

He gave Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, a protege of the Dals beleaguered president, Laloo Prasad, a far more important portfolio than he had.

On the other hand, he did not touch the portfolios of anti-Laloo Prasad ministers such as Ram Vilas Paswan or Srikant Jena.

In face, Paswan has no minister of state under him now and has unfettered control of railways.

WHO GOT WHAT

Janeshwar Mishra Petroleum & natural gas

M Arunachalam Chemicals & fertilisers

Y K Alagh: Power (MOS) independent

R P Singh: Food & consumer affairs (MOS)

independent

Jayanthi Natarajan: Civil aviation (MOS)

Satpal Maharaj: Finance (MOS)

M P Veerendra Kumar Labour (MOS) independent