Low key Sahay fears coalgate backlash after Vijaydashmi

VIJAY DEO JHA

RANCHI

The ticking time-bomb of Union cabinet reshuffle, believed to explode anytime after President Pranab Mukherjee returns to the Raisina Hills after Vijaydashmi celebration, has left Union Tourism Minister Subodh Kant Sahay shaken and even spoiling his festival mood that neither Sahay nor his men would accept publicly.

His office has been receiving requests from different organisations; seeking time of minister to inaugurate puja pandals here in Ranchi. “Within couple of days list will be finalized. He will inaugurate odd numbers of them,” said Sahay’s media coordinator Ravichand Kapoor.

But, his other close aide reeked concern of the minister quite tellingly, Sahay is quite unsure about his position in the cabinet. Delhi’s power portal has started buzzing lately about impending cabinet reshuffle after September 25. “Politics me utha patak chalta hai lekin aise nahi. Kisi ko bura lagega wah bhi puja ke time me,” Sahay’s one of the close aide confided. 

The report of proposed cabinet rejig, the next week, is spreading like virus after Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi met the President. Top Congress sources claimed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had summoned Sahay last month and advised him to be prepared to face the ire. Singh believed to be quite unhappy over Sahay’s subterfuge and repeated show of innocence towards moral wrongdoing which he did by recommending coal blocks to the company SKS Ispat and Power Ltd where his younger brother Sudhir Sahay is a director while keeping PM in dark. A couple of other ministers are also likely to be asked to step down during reshuffle. 

But Sahay has been a desperate man who has made three unsuccessful attempts to meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi, her political advisor Ahmed Patel in the past one month to pleaded innocence in a bid to save his chair.

But a top central Congress leader hinted that proposed cabinet reshuffle could not be a very straight affair and the party can’t risk drops-out sulking without accommodating them in party organization.

“Such things are under deliberation. Sahay might be in the drop out list. Cabinet reshuffle and organizational overhaul will go simultaneously keeping in mind general election of 2014,” the leader said.

Sonia Gandhi is likely to reshuffle central organization of the Congress party by the end of this month or the next month. Rahul Gandhi during his two day Jharkhand tour last month had indicated probable change of guard of the state unit. Sahay would lobby for the post of state party president to compensate the loss of ministerial post.

Sahay’s impending departure from cabinet is eagerly awaited by his rival faction headed by state party president Pradeep Kumar Balmuchu who does not stop smiling when asked about his proposed induction in the cabinet. And who knows Balmuchu would not have not ordered a new suit for oath taking ceremony.

When a reluctant and shaky Sahay would be busy inaugurating Puja pandals here in Ranchi his counterpart Balmuchu will be in Delhi to confirm his cabinet prospect. He is slated to visit Delhi on Friday.

Visiting these odd numbers of Puja pandal; Sahay will surely seek blessing from Goddess against feared guillotine. But he needs political blessings as well.