The big news is not that Mr. Rajiv Gandhi has appointed Mr. N.D. Tiwari minister for external affairs but that Mr. Arun Nehru has gone out of the council of ministers. Of course, as a minister of state, Mr. Nehru would not have deserved such a notice. But he was not an ordinary minister of state. Not long ago he was rated, and in all probability he rated himself, as the second most powerful man in the country next only to the Prime Minister. Then came the minor heart attack towards the end of May which confined him to hospital bed in Srinagar for weeks. With it came the first indication that all was not well between the two cousins; the Prime Minister did not visit him in Srinagar. Mr. Gandhi then used the heart trouble as a justification for depriving Mr. Nehru of most of the formidable powers which he had enjoyed as minister of state for internal security, overshadowing the home minister. So in a sense Mr. Nehru had been put on notice that in future he could not expect to be treated differently from other ministers. Even so the issue was not clinched; indeed, reports circulated in New Delhi that Mr. Nehru had refused to be shifted to another ministry and that this had obliged the Prime Minister to postpone the proposed cabinet reshuffle indefinitely. Mr. Gandhi has obviously not allowed Mr. Nehru a veto, though it is difficult to say whether the former has dropped the latter, or whether the latter has refused to accept another portfolio. Either way Mr. Gandhi has shown the courage a Prime Minister must possess and demonstrate. The issue at stake has not been Mr. Nehru’s performance or capacity but Mr. Rajiv Gandhi’s right to rearrange his team in any way he likes. Any compromise on this point by the Prime Minister would have weakened his position. It is too early to say whether Mr. Nehru will now seek to build up support for himself. But that is a different problem altogether. Open competition is healthy in a democracy.
Mr. Arun Nehru’s exit apart, even otherwise this is Mr. Rajiv Gandhi’s most significant reshuffle. It is notable more for demotions and dismissals than for promotions. Among cabinet ministers, the biggest casualty is, of course, Mr. Abdul Ghafoor who has been dropped and the second Mr. Shiv Shankar who has been relieved of the external affairs portfolio and allowed to retain only commerce. No one can be surprised by either development. Mr. Ghafoor did not show any competence for the job entrusted to him and Mr. Shiv Shankar was just not cut out for serving as India’s minister for external affairs. Indeed, it is truly extraordinary that he was given that job. In any case, his performance by all accounts was deplorable. Apparently he did not read his brief even when he discussed the border issue with his Chinese counterpart. He has been replaced by Mr. N. D. Tiwari who, unlike Mr. Shiv Shankar, is known for his suavity and diligence. But it is too late in the day for Mr. Tiwari too, to master the complexities of external affairs. He will be assisted by Mr. Natwar Singh who has spent a lifetime in diplomacy. Even so it is about time Mr. Gandhi recognised that external affairs is a specialized job which calls for a certain kind of personality and skills. Mr. Gandhi has dropped three other ministers of state – Mr. Khurshid Alam Khan, Mr. V.N. Gadgil and Mr. Sitaram Kesri. Mr. Kesri’s fate had clearly been sealed some months ago when he was denied the party ticket for election to the Rajya Sabha. Perhaps he was thought to be too close to Mr. Arun Nehru. His loyalty to Mrs. Indira Gandhi did not ensure his survival. Mr. Khan has never distinguished himself in any portfolio. Mr. Gadgil belongs to a different category – an intelligent man who got landed with the impossible portfolio of information and broadcasting. He could not possibly please the Prime Minister whatever he did. Mr. Gandhi has too many “advisers” on broadcasting among his entourage. Finally, it looks as if Mr. Arjun Singh has received a setback. As minister for communications he will certainly enjoy less prominence and publicity than he has as Congress vice-president. But Mr. Arjun Singh has prospered in the past two years despite several changes in his assignment – chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, governor of Punjab, commerce minister, Congress vice-president and now communications minister. No one should be in a hurry to write him “down”.