Vajpayee's new team fails to impress

The cabinet reshuffle has been roundly criticised

Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's major cabinet reshuffle has received a lukewarm response from the Indian media.

It was absurd that a man given the boot for his incompetence in the Finance Ministry should be considered for Foreign Affairs

Indian Express

Tuesday's newspapers describe it as an uninspiring and unimaginative exercise with the only notable change being the swapping of jobs between the finance and foreign ministers.

But even this has evoked criticism especially at the removal of Jaswant Singh from the Foreign Ministry, which is seen as taking place at a critical moment, following the recent tension with Pakistan.

The Hindustan Times writes that Mr Vajpayee's "much-hyped reshuffle" fell far short of expectations.

"In a basically unimaginative game of musical chairs there was only one point of interest: swapping of the key portfolios held by Jaswant Singh and Yashwant Sinha," the newspaper said.

The Indian Express also describes the changes in the cabinet as "insipid, colourless and a disappointing exercise".

Others pointed to the fact that the prime minister had increased the size of the cabinet.

In its front-page lead, "Cabinet Becomes Cupboard", The Asian Age writes: "Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee emerged on Monday from his major mid-term overhaul of the government with a council of ministers which can boast of being the largest since Independence - with a strength of 78 persons drawn from the 25-party coalition.

Foreign-finance swap

The switching of portfolios between Jaswant Singh and Yashwant Sinha has been heavily criticised, with the Indian Express saying there was no coherent message in the move.

Singh: moving over to finance

"At one lever, it was absurd that a man given the boot for his incompetence in the Finance Ministry should be considered for Foreign Affairs," it says.

"And yet, he [Mr Sinha] could not be punished for policies which were the collective responsibility of the cabinet."

The Economic Times argues that Mr Sinha's removal had less to do with his failure and more to do with public perception.

"Mr Yashwant Sinha's score card shows that his achievements quite outweigh his failures.

"This yields a sobering thought about his new role as foreign minister - his skills at public relations and communication fall short of his ability to get things done."

Mr Sinha's predecessor as foreign minister comes in for sharp praise over his handling of a key post at a sensitive time for Indian diplomacy.

Foreign policy gains

"Jaswant Singh had emerged as the authoritative face of India in the international community, being viewed as a 'thinking minister'," writes The Times of India.

"Ever the urbane diplomat, Singh had also been able to rub shoulders with world leaders with ease, establishing one-to-one relationships with many of them."

For the first time since Independence, the Western world, led by the Anglo-American powers, is backing India today on the framework of negotiations with Pakistan on Kashmir

The Hindu

The Indian Express points out that Mr Singh had been in charge through momentous events over the past few years - India's nuclear tests, the Kashmir conflict and the War on Terrorism.

He "could be credited with throwing out old, outdated mantras that clung to the dustbin of Cold War history," the Express says.

The outgoing foreign minister is seen as having personally pushed closer ties between India and the United States, pushing aside decades of Cold War mistrust between the two.

"Altering the template of the Indo-US relations during the Clinton era and giving it strategic content during the Bush administration will go down as the single biggest contribution of Mr Singh," writes The Hindu.

"For the first time since Independence, the Western world, led by the Anglo-American powers, is backing India today on the framework of negotiations with Pakistan on Kashmir."

On a lighter note, the press has noted the inclusion of two Bollywood stars as ministers for the very first time.

Many newspapers outlined the close relations between the film industry and politics, with several stars going on to successful political careers in regional politics.

Nevertheless, The Hindu says, it has been a long wait in the wings for a Bollywood star to become a federal minister.

"Whatever the political compulsions that put them there, Bollywood has at long last made it," it writes.