Harsh welcome for Indian PM's reshuffle

Indian Premier Manmohan Singh faced near-universal criticism of his cabinet reshuffle Wednesday, with his attempt to reinvigorate the government dismissed as "another dud" by one newspaper. Commentators, newspaper editorials and television panelists described changes to the Congress-led administration line-up as limited and predictable when Singh needed to impose a radical overhaul. The Hindustan Times said Tuesday's reshuffle was a missed opportunity in which "fogies and laggards" remained in place, blocking younger talent from pushing through necessary reform in the rapidly-advancing country. The Times of India said in its editorial Singh had the chance to "inject fresh blood into the cabinet, pack it with performers and revamp the government" but instead had chosen "routine shuffling of the deck". Singh's most notable move was to take the high-profile environment post away from maverick Jairam Ramesh, who was promoted to the cabinet as rural development minister. The prime minister's second term in office has been hit by corruption scandals, high inflation and slowing economic growth, but any hopes he had that the long-waited reshuffle would be seen as a fresh start were soon dashed. The Mail Today said the changes "proved to be yet another dud", while its lead commentator Manoj Joshi depicted the government "as a rudderless hulk that has been floating on the high skies". "There is something epic in the hubris that the (Congress) party displayed in the face of repeated instances of malfeasance and corruption that came to light in the last two years," he said. Even some members of government failed to hide their unhappiness, with the Times reporting "sulking silence" among aggrieved ministers at the oath-taking ceremony. Gurudas Kamat, who was tipped to become civil aviation minister, offered to resign hours after being given the drinking water and sanitation portfolio.