UPA's other knights at the round table

The debonair Montek Singh Ahluwalia has become something of a fixture on Raisina Hill. During his days at the finance ministry, he was often spotted strolling across the road between the North and South blocks. Today, he sits a little distance away at Yojana Bhavan but wields much more power than he did as a bureaucrat. That's because of his proximity to the PM.
Those privy to the Singh-Singh relationship say that for Manmohan, Montek is the son he never had. Trust and affection run deep, a bond shared by the PM's wife, Gursharan Kaur. If Manmohan Singh were to believe in a coterie, Montek would have been its leading light.
Despite all this, Montek is not seen as a power player. This has to do both with his personality as well as his style of working. His capabilities are recognised but there's always that niggling feeling that the Planning Commission deputy chairman is a bit short on pragmatism . "Good on theory, weak in practicals" is the pithy assessment. The widely held view in the Congress is that Montek is too much of textbook person and adrift of the party's political priorities. Yet, his access to the PM makes him a much sought-after VIP.
If Congress has stymied Montek's mobility, the party's backing - particularly Rahul Gandhi's - is the chief reason for the remarkable ascent of C P Joshi. He lost the assembly polls by one vote but that did not derail him. As a matter of fact, the loss was more than compensated for when, after winning the Lok Sabha polls, he was not just brought into the Cabinet but given charge of rural development - a portfolio that is valued (a) because of its huge budgetary allocation (b) because it holds the key to Congress's aspiration to have a majority of its own on the back of aam aadmi support, and (c) because it's close to Rahul's heart. Joshi's organisation-building abilities hold the chief of the Rajasthan unit of Congress in good stead. But what hinders the former lecturer of psychology is his volatile temperament. Simply put, Joshi has a knack for rubbing people up the wrong way. His jousts with the Opposition have been aggressive enough to embarrass a leadership which itself does not believe in giving any quarter. He will have to learn to tread cautiously in New Delhi - a stage which favours discretion over bravado.
DMK chief M Karunanidhi remains crucial, but has lost some of the heft he had under UPA-1 , both because of his dependence on the Congress in Chennai and because Sonia's improved tally buffers her against the tantrums of regional bosses. It's the same for Sharad Pawar. Indeed, the erosion of the Maharashtra politician's base is glaringly obvious because of the mismatch between his feverish projection as potential prime minister and the single digit Lok Sabha tally of his NCP.
Within Congress, Kamal Nath is out of the ���A��� List for now because of his shift from the commerce ministry. But those who know the man know that he can bounce back. The fact that he heads the ministry of road transport and highways - a hot button for both the PM and Congress leadership - can be an invaluable opportunity for a man who values his "performer" tag.
In contrast, Prithiviraj Chavan, the MOS in the PMO, remains on the favoured list. His being in charge of the politically sensitive department of personnel is proof enough that he is trusted by the Congress leadership. And while he is a full-scale minister of the Cabinet, his perch affords him a seat at the high table and makes him privy to very important information.
Delhi is an arena where even the mightiest politician has to reckon with the wily set - the "permanent government". In fact, even in this age of empowerment, many babus are supposed to be more powerful than those to whom they report. The smarter politicians see this. Those who don't get "house trained" without even realising it. Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrashekhar, with his ability to work officialdom, heads the power pack which includes home secretary G K Pillai, finance secretary, Ashok Chawla and commerce secretary Rahul Khullar. Then, there are others like urban development secretary M Ramachandran, Trai chairman J S Sarma and special secretary in the ministry of petroleum S Sundareshan who add lustre to their designations.
Attorney general Ghoolam Vahanvati and solicitor general Gopal Subramaniam make it to the list because of their position and legal skills. Rajeev Mathur, director of Intelligence Bureau, has won admiration for grasping his brief quickly. The intelligence operative who has earned the admiration of his international peers is also appreciated in the PMO.