Sonia nominates Dhawan, Jacob as permanent invitees to CWC

Congress sources said the two ministers were divested of their responsibility of these states in view of the Presidential election. With their ministerial responsibilities, they could not devote much time to the party8217;s preparations in their respective states for the Presidential election, said the sources.

But what came as a big surprise was the choice of Jacob and Dhawan to replace the two ministers. Congress sources said Jacob, who had been on gubernatorial assignments for 12 years and had retired only recently, was desperate to come back into mainstream politics. In fact, he was tipped to be a strong contender for the Vice-President8217;s post if the Congress were to field a candidate.

Dhawan, personal assistant and confidante of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, was dropped from the Congress Working Committee in July 2004 following his entry into the Rajya Sabha and had been on the sidelines since.

According to Congress leaders, the fact that Jacob and Dhawan were nominated to the CWC8212;instead of being appointed as general secretaries in charge of states8212;gave clear indication that a major reshuffle of the All India Congress Committee is in the offing. The revamp is likely to take place after the Cabinet reshuffle next month as indicated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh recently.

Meanwhile, Congress activists today burst firecrackers amidst drumbeats outside 10, Janpath to celebrate the 37th birthday of Rahul Gandhi. This was despite party functionaries8217; assertions that the Amethi MP wanted to keep his birthday a private affair. The MP is at present out of the country. The Indian Youth Congress also distributed notebooks among poor and needy schoolchildren to mark the day.