Kapil Sibal takes charge of telecom ministry

In a surprise development, the UPA government today gave human resources development minister Kapil Sibal additional charge of the telecom ministry in the wake of the resignation of his predecessor A Raja on Sunday (See: Telecom mininster Raja finally quits).

The Congress has thus deprived the DMK, its ally in the union government, of a key portfolio; but the move is widely seen as temporary.

The arrangement is seen in the light of the ongoing Parliament session, when issues related to the ministry are hogging attention and need an experienced minister to field queries.

Sibal, a well-known lawyer before he became a politician, was last week also given the additional charge of the ministries of science and technology and earth sciences, which fell vacant after incumbent Prithviraj Chavan was made chief minister of Maharashtra.

Raja resigned as telecom minister on Sunday night after a glut of accusations over his alleged corruption and pivotal role in the 2G scam. By Monday evening all formalities were complete, with the president accepting his resignation.

The DMK - which had till last evening resisted Raja's exit - may not be entirely pleased with the telecom portfolio not being assigned to another DMK leader – although after Raja resigned, both the Congress and the DMK have stressed that their alliance remains intact, and that the DMK will continue to participate in the UPA government at the centre.