New Delhi, July 1 (IANS) With President Pratibha Patil scheduled to leave for Hyderabad Saturday morning on a week-long stay, the proposed cabinet reshuffle may take place only after July 8, official sources said.
‘The reshuffle is likely after the president’s return on July 8,’ a senior official, who did not want to be identified, told IANS Friday.
‘Though the president can come to Delhi during the period, the reshuffle may not be done under such an emergency situation,’ he added.
Patil is leaving for the customary annual week-long stay in the Andhra Pradesh capital.
Earlier Friday morning, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called on Patil, triggering more speculation about a cabinet reshuffle.
The meeting lasted for 45 minutes, the president’s office said. However, there was no clarity on when the reshuffle would take place.
‘The two leaders discussed about the forthcoming monsoon session of the parliament and the current political situation. They also discussed various other issues of national and international importance,’ a release from the president’s office said.
In his interaction with a group of editors here Wednesday, Manmohan Singh had said that the cabinet reshuffle was a ‘work in progress’.
‘I cannot predict,’ the prime minister had replied when asked about the details of the reshuffle.
When he earlier expanded the cabinet on Jan 19, Manmohan Singh had said that he would undertake a major reshuffle after the budget session of the parliament.
With the much-awaited reshuffle not happening soon, some political circles have expressed pessimism over the entire exercise.
According to them, one likely factor of delay is a decision on the fate Textile Minister Dayanidhi Maran, who is facing allegations of corruption in the 2G spectrum scam.
With media reports tainting the image of Maran, the Congress leadership is keen to remove him, they say.
But they do not see it happening unless Maran resigns himself or till the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is investigating the charges, files a case against Maran.
The Congress fears that the opposition will disrupt the monsoon session of parliament beginning Aug 1, if Maran continues as a minister, the sources added.
