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Minister exits as part of Cong rejig
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 21
As part of the structural changes Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi promised on December 8, the day of defeat in four states, the party today recalled senior minister Jayanthi Natarajan to work in the organisation ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

Natarajan resigned as the Environment Minister with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh giving additional charge of the ministry to Veerappa Moily, who holds the Petroleum portfolio.

The President has accepted her resignation. Into her fourth term as the Rajya Sabha member from Tamil Nadu, Natarajan will soon be offered a party position. Before she joined the ministry two years ago, she was a Congress spokesperson along with Abhishek Singhvi, Manish Tewari and Shakeel Ahmed.

Natarajan’s exit from the Union Cabinet is not the only change expected ahead of the January 17 AICC 2014 session where formal anointment of Rahul as party’s PM candidate is widely expected.

There is a talk in Congress circles of Rahul putting his team together with leaders not ruling out recalling of ministers Jairam Ramesh, Anand Sharma and Manish Tewari for party work.

Ramesh was recently appointed head of the AICC Lok Sabha election coordination committee — a task that would demand more of his attention closer to elections. Ramesh can resign as the Rural Development Minister any time now. Tewari, with his vast experience in the Youth Congress and the AICC organisation, can be another choice of Rahul for party work. There is a speculation about Ghulam Nabi Azad also being recalled to the party organisation.