Special Correspondent
Cabinet reshuffle in Rajasthan will settle dispute between the departments
JAIPUR: Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje killed two birds with the proverbial one stone the other day by entrusting the charge of Panchayati Raj and Rural Development to Minister of State for Education Vasudev Devnani. Now Mr. Devnani, who has to work under two Cabinet Ministers—Ghanshaym Tiwari and Kalulal Gujjar—will be able to carry out the transfers of some 50,000 primary school teachers – a matter that has been pending for long after a dispute.
The immediate provocation for the minor reshuffle of portfolios was the dispute between the State Panchayati Raj Department and the Education Department over the transfers of primary school teachers. The problem had arisen after the transfer of the primary school education to the Panchayats as per the requirement of the 73rd Constitution Amendment.
Babulal Verma, who is the Minister of State for Panchayati Raj, will continue to hold the Panchayati Raj Department along with portfolios of Labour and Employment.
Though it is not clear whether the Chief Minister wanted to reward Mr. Devnani, an old RSS hand from Ajmer—against whom charges of nepotism were levelled by party men last month —by entrusting him with additional work and portfolios, her quick-fix solution to the problem of transfers has sent a message to both Mr. Tiwari and Mr. Gujjar.
Mr. Tiwari, who is undoubtedly Ms. Raje’s bete noire, has not been on good terms with his junior Minister as well.
Though some time back Mr. Tiwari had kept himself out of the troublesome task of transfers of teachers entrusting them to Mr. Devnani, the latest act of the Chief Minister has surely eroded his powers. At present Mr. Devnani holds charge of Primary, Secondary and Higher Education, Sanskrit Education, Language and Language Minorities Department, and Technical Education, besides the newly acquired Panchayati Raj.
More than Mr. Tiwari, Ms. Raje’s act has come as a rebuff to Kalulal Gujjar, who was all fire and brimstone during the recent Gujjar agitation which unmistakably brought a bad name to the Rajasthan Government at national level. Mr. Gujjar along with some other MLAs from his community had openly sided with the Gujjar leaders in the agitation.
According to political observers, the current round of minor reshuffle gives the impression of a stopgap arrangement and major changes in the offing.
