NEW DELHI: Upset at having been shunted out of the petroleum ministry, S. Jaipal Reddy yesterday assumed charge as India’s new Science and Technology minister.
Reddy was shifted to the less fancied ministry on Sunday during the big-bang cabinet expansion cum reshuffle exercise which is being seen as a punishment for his upright stand on certain issues.
Reddy took charge of the new portfolio after making it amply clear that he was upset with his transfer. Reddy was not present for the customary handing over of charge when the new petroleum minister Veerappa Moily reached his office yesterday morning.
Reddy reached his new office only towards the evening and sounded more philosophical and convincing about his transfer by saying he was “intellectually excited”.
“My effort has always been to be a faithful party man and a truthful minister,” he said.
Reddy has the image of being an honest though stubborn leader. His 21-month term in the petroleum ministry was known for his reluctance to increase prices of petroleum products as well as his run-in with Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries, which has big stakes in the petroleum sector.
Ironically Reddy was given charge of the petroleum ministry replacing Murli Deora in January last year since Deora was seen as too close to Reliance whose shares registered a sharp drop during Reddy’s tenure and rose abruptly after his exit yesterday.
“There were reports in the media that Jaipal was dropped under pressure from industry. The prime minister must explain to the people why Jaipal was suddenly removed,” senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Venkaiah Naidu said yesterday.
Anti-corruption activist Arvind Kejriwal was more blunt in his criticism while terming Reddy an honest minister. “Why did Jaipal Reddy lose his job? For resisting Reliance? Oily Moily will now work as per Reliance? So, LPG and power prices set to rise? (sic)” Kejriwal said on social networking site Twitter.
Sources close to Reddy say that he is unhappy and upset at his removal from the petroleum ministry but was forced to accept his transfer since he was not left with many options.
“He has already made it clear that he is upset. As far as I know, he is mulling plans to lodge a protest to the [Congress] party without making his disappointment public,” a close associate of Reddy said.
Interestingly a debate has already started over demoting an honest Reddy and promoting Salman Khurshid as the new foreign minister despite facing a probe for alleged embezzlement of a Rs7.1 million (Dh483,507) grant by an NGO run by Khurshid and his wife. The money was meant to be used to give implants to the physically challenged.
“Jaipal Reddy - known to be honest - kicked out. Salman Khurshid - corrupt - promoted. That’s UPA (sic),” Kejriwal tweeted.
Besides, the appointment of former Rajya Sabha deputy chairman K. Rehman Khan as the new cabinet minister for minority affairs has also raised eyebrows as Khan is accused of being involved in the Karnataka Wakf Board scam.
West Bengal Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who was among the 17 new entrants to the council of ministers on Sunday and made junior minister of Railways, is also facing serious criminal charges. He is currently out on bail in a murder case. He yesterday said he will quit as minister if criminal charges against him are proved.
