The spin given to last week’s Cabinet reshuffle was an old rumour — something about rewarding performance and punishing those who didn’t deliver. Every PM does a few reshuffles; they are a good PR exercise intended to make the population think the administration is about to work faster.

The Opposition was predictably apoplectic with rage, taking issue with the ‘performance’ of those who were promoted. They argued that exports had not grown, GDP numbers were lower and yet the commerce minister had been promoted. The railways minister oversaw a number of accidents and yet he got commerce. The oil minister got additional charges despite oil prices going up. Agriculture was in distress and yet the minister remained. So on and so forth.

Actually, they protest too much. At least the Congress party ought to have known better. Remember the power outage all over north India in July 2012? This would have demanded at least a token ministerial sacrifice in any liberal democracy. Yet the then power minister just got more power, becoming home minister and rising many levels above his earlier posting. Or remember the finance minister who brought in retrospective taxation, breached fiscal discipline and brought us to the verge of a twin deficit crisis — well, he ended up in Rashtrapati Bhavan and lived happily thereafter.

And of course, the party’s eternal crown prince has yet to pay any price for losing election after election. If anything this only seems to fan talk about impending coronation instead of ushering in a new leadership. So, mince your words when talking about ‘performance’. It may be easier to swallow them if and when you get the opportunity.

NS Vageesh Associate Editor

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