Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh came under renewed fire after he failed Tuesday to make sweeping changes to his cabinet in a reshuffle that the opposition branded an "aimless rotation". Halfway through its second term, the administration led by Singh's Congress party has suffered from months of negative headlines over corruption scandals, stubbornly high inflation and slowing economic growth.
The finance, home, defence and foreign affairs ministers all kept their jobs in a limited shake-up of Singh's top team that had been aimed at combating accusations that the government has lost momentum. After the swearing-in ceremony of 11 ministers in New Delhi, Singh said: "This is the last reshuffle before we go to the polls." General elections are scheduled in 2014. The prime minister described his new cabinet as "a balance between state representation, efficiency of ministers and continuity."
Singh said he had invited Rahul Gandhi, scion of the Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty and widely viewed as a leader-in-waiting, to join the government, but he chose to continue working for the party. Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh was the most high-profile mover as he was promoted to the cabinet and transferred to the rural development portfolio.
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