Published: Tuesday, Oct 26, 2010, 3:20 IST
By Harish Gupta | Place: New Delhi | Agency: DNA
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_netas-line-up-to-become-obama-s-man-friday_1457947
Who will be minister-in-waiting for Barack Obama? The question is bedevilling the corridors of power in Delhi. Ordinarily, a minister-in-waiting for a visiting head of state or government is not of any significance. Unless the dignitary is the US president. The post then becomes a measure of clout, inviting a scramble for it. This time, it is significant, keeping in view a likely cabinet reshuffle in January.
In the fray are commerce minister Anand Sharma, human resource development minister Kapil Sibal, minority and corporate affairs minister Salman Khursheed, and minister in the prime minister’s office Prithviraj Chavan.
The obvious choice should be Sharma because of his familiarity with the nuances of foreign policy. After all, he has had extensive experience abroad, particularly South Africa. But he will be too busy in business summits in Mumbai and Delhi during Obama’s visit. Sharma is also perceived to be in the line for the post of external affairs minister when SM Krishna is sent back to Karnataka.
Sibal, too, is pitching for the post of minister-in-waiting. Like Sharma, Sibal is in the running for the external affairs ministry. But there is a slight problem: Sibal had been minister-in-waiting for George W Bush, a Republican, during the latter’s visit in March 2006. Since Obama is a Democrat, the external affairs establishment would prefer a new face.
Given this scenario, Khursheed and Chavan are favourites. Khursheed has in the past held the portfolio of minister of state for external affairs. Chavan is equally experienced. But considering the situation, Manmohan Singh would like to depute a full cabinet minister as minister-in-waiting for Obama. The final decision will be taken when Singh returns from his three-nation tour.
