New Delhi: The Congress has always sought to
give an impression that it has its finger firmly on the pulse of the
youth by pushing the Gandhi scion Rahul as one of the important leaders
of its poll campaign. Most of the ministers who took oath on Sunday as
the new members of the Union Council of Ministers are way past their
retirement age.
While the average age of the Congress working committee being 52
years, it begs the question if the party is not one of old men, with
only Rahul Gandhi at the top giving it a false youthful image. It is
indeed significant that among the ministers who took oath on Sunday, JD
Seelam is the youngest at 60, while Sisram Ola, a Jat leader from
Rajasthan, being a ripe 86 years of age.
Ironically, the UPA government, which did not approve the proposal
to increase the retirement age of its employees from 60 to 62 years,
inducted in its Cabinet such an old minister who even struggled to read
the oath. Interestingly, he has been given Labour and Employment
Ministry.
He is the same minister who was dethroned four years ago for lack
of performance. Now, he has been brought back when anyone can imagine
what the quality of his performance could be.
Though the Congress claims that it has tried to strike a balance
between the young and the old, the situation on the ground reveals that
the party is anxious about the forthcoming elections in several states,
apart from the general elections due next year.
Rajasthan is going for elections later this year. And there is
cause for worry for the Congress in the state. With his miserable
performance, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has only made things difficult
for the party. There are talks that the Congress may be decimated once
again in Rajasthan. The party high command needed to contain the damage
at least by the fraction. They have tried to appease the Jat vote bank
by inducting a Jat minister into the cabinet, besides bringing in
another Gandhi family loyalist from the state, Girija Vyas. Sadly, this
may not really be sufficient to diffuse the anger of the common man in
Rajasthan, including the Jats. The tactic may not help in averting a
rout.
Several other appointments also have a political foresight, if not
shrewd election gimmick. Karnataka has been given special prominence
with the induction of one new cabinet minister in the person of Oscar
Fernandes, besides giving the plum portfolio of the Railways to
Mallikarjuna Kharge. The reward to the state is due to the splendid
performance of the state Congress in the recent Assembly elections. The
high command is expecting a bounty once again from the state in the
coming general elections.
Despite already having a sizeable representation, another minister
from Andhra Pradesh was inducted. Now, there are a total of 11 ministers
in UPA-II from Andhra. The party knows that it has a battle to fight
against Y S Jaganmohan Reddy and his YSR Congress in the Assembly
elections next year when the state goes for polls.
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