Squabbles delay portfolio announcement

Among Congressmen who had problems with his slot was Chandni Chowk MP Kapil Sibal, who was sworn in as Minister of State (Independent charge). Sibal is reportedly unhappy as the Law portfolio went to Hans Raj Baradhwaj, an old Family loyalist and he was given the marginal Ocean Development and Science and Technology.

Sonia Gandhi’s preference for the old guard—and those who lost the election—after getting the electoral mandate on the young entrants has rankled the rank and file of the party. The new Cabinet Committee on Security will have as many as three Rajya Sabha members (Manmohan Singh as PM, Natwar Singh as External Affairs Minister and Home Minister Shivraj Patil, who lost the LS election from Latur) and one Lok Sabha member in the form of Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee.

Sibal, who was informed by the Cabinet Secretariat on Saturday afternoon that he will be sworn in as a Minister of State, rushed to 10 Janpath and met Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi. He was given an independent charge only after he apparently refused to be sworn in merely as MoS.

Suresh Pachauri, who was Minister of State (independent charge) in the Narasimha Rao government, is also said to be upset. Pachauri, after eight years, has been downgraded to Minister of State. An engineer from US, Prithviraj Chavan is also disappointed at becoming an MoS.

On the allies front, Ram Vilas Paswan continued to put pressure on the Congress for a substantial portfolio and met Sonia Gandhi this afternoon. With PMK refusing to part with Health which went to Dr Anbumani Ramadoss, the party chief’s son, Paswan was finally offered the ministry of steel in addition to chemicals and fertilisers. Speaking to PTI late tonight, he again said he had expected Railways, ‘‘it was almost done’’ but for ‘‘some reason’’ he was not given the porfolio.

The Congress also faced a lot of trouble on the home front. Orissa leader Giridhar Gamang went public with his disappointment over the state being denied any berth in the 68-member council while Andhra Chief Minister Y.S. Rajashekhara Reddy is having to deal with former chief minister N. Janardhan Reddy’s angst over not being included in the Cabinet while Jaipal Reddy has been given a cabinet position.

Denied a berth in the government yesterday, Janardhan Reddy got into a deep sulk and even met party president Sonia Gandhi to explain that it was ‘‘unjust.’’ He even got his wife, N. Rajyalaximi, a minister in the Andhra cabinet to resign in protest.