US embassy cable - 05NEWDELHI8809

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 008809 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/21/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, PINR, PREL, ECON, IN, Indian Domestic Politics 
SUBJECT: PM SINGH SHUFFLES PORTFOLIOS SLIGHTLY 
 
 
Classified By: Political Counselor Geoff Pyatt, for Reasons 1.4 (B, D) 
 
1.  (SBU) In an anti-climax, the GOI announced November 18 
that it had reallocated Cabinet portfolios between the 
sitting Cabinet Ministers rather than expanding the Cabinet 
as expected.  Prime Minister Manmohan Singh retained the 
External Affairs Ministry.  Jaipal Reddy moved from 
Information and Broadcasting to Urban Development, where he 
may be helpful to our infrastructure investment thrust. 
Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi added I & B to his current 
Parliamentary Affairs Portfolio.  The PM remains overwhelmed 
and dual-hatted.  Political commentators were surprised that 
Sonia and the PM did not undertake radical surgery following 
the Natwar Singh scandal. 
 
2.  (U) The present composition of 62-member Union Council of 
Ministers, after the reshuffle: 
 
CABINET MINISTERS  (26) 
 
Dr. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister, is also in-charge of the 
following    ministries/departments, currently not allocated 
to any other minister: 
 
-     Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions 
-     Planning 
-     Atomic Energy 
-     Space 
-     Coal 
-     Overseas Indian Affairs 
-     External Affairs 
 
Shivraj Patil, Home Affairs 
Pranab Mukherjee, Defense 
P. Chidambaram, Finance 
Arjun Singh, Human Resource Development 
Sharad Pawar, Agriculture, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public 
Distribution 
Lalu Prasad, Railways 
Ram Vilas Paswan, Chemicals & Fertilizers and Steel 
Jaipal Reddy, Urban Development & Culture 
K. Chandra Shekhar Rao, Labor & Employment 
Mahavir Prasad, Small Scale Industries, Agro & Rural 
Industries 
PR. Kyndiah, Tribal Affairs & Development of North Eastern 
Region 
TR. Baalu, Shipping; Road Transport & Highways 
Shankersinh Vaghela, Textiles 
Natwar Singh, Minister without Portfolio 
Kamal Nath, Commerce & Industry 
H.R. Bhardwaj, Law & Justice 
P.M. Sayeed, Power 
Dr. Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, Rural Development 
Priyaranjan Dashmunsi, Information & Broadcasting and 
Parliamentary Affairs 
Mani Shankar Aiyar, Petroleum & Natural Gas and Panchayati Raj 
Mrs. Meira Kumar, Social Justice & Empowerment 
Raja, Environment & Forests 
Dayanidhi Maran, Communication & Information Technology 
Dr. Anbumani Ramdoss, Health & Family Welfare 
Sis Ram Ola, Mines 
 
MINISTERS OF STATE WITH INDEPENDENT CHARGE (09) 
 
Santosh Mohan Dev, Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises and 
Water Resources 
Oscar Fernandes, Statistics & Program Implementation and 
Youth Affairs & Sports 
Mrs. Renuka Choudhury, Tourism 
Subodh Kant Sahay, Food Processing Industries 
Kapil Sibal, Science & Technology and Ocean Development 
Vilas Muttemwar, Non-Conventional Energy Sources 
Kumari Selja, Urban Employment & Poverty Alleviation 
Praful Patel, Civil Aviation 
Prem Chand Gupta, Company Affairs 
 
MINISTERS OF STATE (27) 
 
E. Ahamed, External Affairs 
Suresh Pachauri, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions and 
Parliamentary Affairs 
BK. Handique, Defense; Parliamentary Affairs 
Mrs. Panabaka Lakshmi, Health & Family Welfare 
Dr. Dasari Narayan Rao, Coal & Mines 
Shaqeel Ahmed, Communications & Information Technology 
Rao Inderjit Singh, External Affairs 
Naranbhai Rathwa, Railways; Chemicals & Fertilizers 
KH Muniappa, Road Transport & Highways 
MV Rajashekharan, Planning 
Kantilal Bhuria, Agriculture, Consumer Affairs, Food & Public 
Distribution 
Manik Rao Gavit, Home Affairs 
Sri Prakash Jaiswal, Home Affairs 
Prithviraj Chavan, Prime Minister,s Office 
Taslimuddin, Agriculture, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public 
Distribution 
Mrs. Suryakanta Patil, Rural Development; Parliamentary 
Affairs 
Md. Ali Ashraf Fatmi, Human Resource Development 
A. Narendra, Rural Development 
R. Velu, Railways 
SS. Palanimanikkam, Finance 
S. Regupathy, Home Affairs 
K. Venkatapathy, Law & Justice 
Mrs. Subbulakshmi Jegadeesan, Social Justice & Empowerment 
EVK Elangovan, Commerce & Industry 
Mrs. Kanti Singh, Human Resource Development 
Namo Narayan Meena, Environment & Forests 
Akhilesh Singh, Agriculture, Consumer Affairs, Food and 
Public Distribution 
 
Comment - Again Indecisive 
-------------------------- 
 
3.  (C) Political observers were surprised at this 
announcement, as most expected a Cabinet expansion that could 
include up to 15 new entrants, rather than a simple reshuffle 
of portfolios.  In addition, PM Manmohan Singh was widely 
reported to be overwhelmed by his workload and eager to shed 
Foreign Affairs.  Local scuttlebutt has it, that the PM was 
over-ruled by the Congress leadership, which was unwilling 
for now to fill what Natwar Singh still calls "his Ministry." 
 Congress insider and Sonia Gandhi confidant Rashid Alvi told 
us that Congress still hopes to expand the Cabinet and bring 
in new faces after the Winter Session of Parliament ends on 
December 23.  Singh's failure to press a Cabinet expansion is 
likely to be viewed by many as yet another sign of his 
government's relative "weakness," as Congress is confronted 
by myriad political problems (septel).  This anticlimactic 
step is another sign of a party trying to cope with multiple 
challenges. 
BLAKE