Intrigue grips Delhi again as Sharad Pawar rolls the dice

A slight lull had set in after Pranab Mukherjee was nominated as the UPA’s presidential candidate and with the Samajwadi Party and Shiv Sena supporting, his election was a foregone conclusion. Now Delhi is again abuzz with activity. The ruling Congress is so bereft of talent at the top that there is no one to manage coalition partners. And one of its principal allies, the Nationalist Congress Party, has threatened to quit the government. Party leader Sharad Pawar reportedly offered his resignation to the prime minister following which Congress president Sonia Gandhi had a meeting with him.

Sharad Pawar, being the senior most minister in the Cabinet, had hoped to play that role but the Congress would have none of it. At the second Cabinet meeting after Mukherjee had left the council of ministers it was AK Antony who sat by the prime minister’s side. Pawar is so experienced in politics that it is difficult to believe that he did not realise the coalition leader will never hand over the job of political management within the Cabinet as well as outside to an ally. With prime minister Manmohan Singh having virtually no say in political matters, that would mean enormous power and influence over allies vested in a person who is not a member of the Congress.

A source in the Congress Party says that the shenanigans of Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party is basically jockeying for more positions in an imminent Cabinet reshuffle. A restructuring of the Cabinet is expected soon and the grapevine suggests that Rahul Gandhi will be inducted into the Cabinet. Gandhi’s entry, if it happens, will have preceded elaborate steps.

Union minister and Congress leader Salman Khurshid, who is considered close to 10 Janpath, set the ball rolling when he told a newspaper that Gandhi should become more active rather than playing mere cameo roles. That statement was ostensibly meant to provoke the reticent leader into action. Yet, when another senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh said a few days later that Rahul Gandhi would hopefully play a more active role, perhaps by September, it was clear that Khurshid’s statement was preparatory in nature. Soon enough, the man himself publicly stated that he was ready for a bigger role and the timing would be decided by the prime minister and the Congress President.

Now we hear that he may start his apprenticeship as a junior defence minister under AK Antony, his mother Sonia Gandhi’s trusted lieutenant. Home minister P Chidambaram is also tipped to come back to the finance ministry. That leaves the home ministry vacant and there are many who are angling for it.

Within the Congress itself, there is said to be a power struggle between senior leaders for Pranab Mukherjee’s mantle. Chief among them are Digvijaya Singh who is perceived to be close to Rahul Gandhi and Ahmed Patel, Sonia Gandhi’s trusted aide. The role is important because the person would be in regular touch with different parties across regions helping build personal relationships that could be advantageous in future.

Another problem afflicting the Congress is the health of the ageing Manmohan Singh and ailing Sonia Gandhi. There is speculation that both are not keeping too well. For the Gandhi family to retain its supremacy in the party, it is necessary for a member to take a proactive role. Rahul Gandhi, however, has so far not shown the inclination or ability to be a political leader. He disappeared from public view after the humiliating defeat of the party in the Uttar Pradesh elections.

The other position that has fallen vacant after Mukherjee’s departure is that of the leader of the Lok Sabha. There is also speculation that Rahul Gandhi may be entrusted with that responsibility as well. However, for that he needs to be a Cabinet minister. Usually, the position is reserved for a senior leader of the ruling party. Could it be that Sharad Pawar is more indignant at the possibility of having the inexperienced Gandhi as his leader in the House where he has spent a large part of his life than being denied the number two position in the Cabinet? After all, politicians are known to have big egos and deference to seniority is still an entrenched tradition in Indian politics. Or could it be something else altogether? Time will tell.

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