March 30, 1998

LIBERAL LABEL
RAMAKRISHNA HEGDE: Commerce

For a political veteran, it is rather surprising that Hegde has never been a Union minister. Once tipped as a future prime minister, Hegde has lost some of his original sheen. Short of numbers, he will not be a destabiliser unless he detects opportunities for re-forging the original Janata Dal, minus pesky casteists. Will use ministership to re-emerge as the darling of the chattering classes and their conduit to the new regime.

MOUTHPIECE
SUSHMA SWARAJ: I & B

Brief as it was, in her previous stint as I&B minister Swaraj laid down the ground rules: women newscasters would not wear sleeveless blouses, family programmes would be encouraged. Swaraj is unapologetic about the solid, middle-class family values she stands for. She has her work cut out: the long-awaited Broadcasting Bill will be top priority. The newly autonomous Prasar Bharati could also come under scrutiny. So will she.

SOUTHERN COMFORT
H N ANANTH KUMAR: Civil Aviation

Billed as the fresh face of the BJP in Karnataka, the party leadership hopes to make another Pramod Mahajan out of Kumar. Techno-savvy, he is the first MP to create a personal website. Not yet 40, Kumar has been an impressive MP from Bangalore South. As the civil aviation minister, he can be expected to bring about radical changes in policies relating to opening up the skies to foreign carriers.

TIGER CLUB
SURESH PRABHU: Environment and Forests

The tiger is endangered, particularly in Maharashtra where the BJP-Shiv Sena has been practically wiped out. One politician, however, managed to actually increase the percentage of votes he polled. A chartered accountant-industrialist, he has no experience in government. But in a conflict between development and environment, he is expected to choose development.

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