NEW DELHI, May 7: Tuesday's storm over Bhabani Sen Gupta, who resigned within 24 hours of assuming charge as Officer on Special Duty in the PMO, is a major setback for Prime Minister I K Gujral.

If he was scuppered by his political vulnerability in his choice of ministers, Gujral will now have to proceed carefully with bureaucratic appointments as well.

Ironically, Sen Gupta is understood to have been appointed for his writing skills rather than his views on foreign policy issues which led to his abrupt exit yesterday. According to PMO sources, the maverick analyst was to have assisted Gujral with his speeches, statements and other papers which require a facile pen. His brief did not include foreign affairs, the sources maintained.

But the controversy over Sen Gupta must have revived unpleasant memories of the compromises Gujral had to make over his cabinet. According to sources in the United Front, V P Singh, who is Gujral's main political guru, had advised the new PM to assume office with a small Cabinet consisting of just five or six ministers.

This would have given Gujral a free hand to choose his own team of ministers instead of inheriting a hand-me-down cabinet. After the budget session, the Prime Miniser would have expanded the council of ministers, inducting a whole lot of new faces to give his government a totally different look.

On the fateful night before the Gujral Government was sworn in, however, a marathon meeting of UF leaders flatly refused to give the PM-to-be that freedom. Gujral was forced to back down and take on the entire Deve Gowda team minus D P Yadav who fell victim to Laloo Yadav's tantrums.

The retreat has made UF members sceptical about the expected expansion after Parliament adjourns. A senior Janata Dal leader confessed that it may be just a minor exercise and a few portfolios may be shuffled around as Gujral cannot afford to upset the tenuous balance of power that exists at present.

However, resentment within constituents of the UF, particularly Gujral's own party, the Janata Dal, is mounting over the presence of ``outsiders'' in the Government. Sources particularly picked on Y K Alagh, who was not even a member of any party of the UF when he became a minister, Satpal Maharaj and Sis Ram Ola, whose leaders in the Congress (T) have gone back to the Congress, and B S Ramoowalia, who is believed to have been inducted on CPI(M) general secretary H K Surjeet's insistence.

The expansion will, of course, be the Gujral Government's acid test of strength. But the PM's shaky start has aroused fears that he may be too hemmed in by political compulsions to effect any real change.

For instance, he was widely expected to give Health Minister Saleem Shervani additional charge of the external affairs portfolio. A UF source had said it would ``happen sooner than later'', sparking off speculation that the announcement would be made when C M Ibrahim was stripped of the Information and Broadcasting portfolio in favour of Jaipal Reddy at the time the TMC contingent rejoined the Government.

UF leaders are at a loss to explain the delay and are now circulating the explanation that Shervani will be given his new duty when the ``major'' reshuffle takes place. At that time, they claim, another MOS in the MEA will also be appointed.

If the Cabinet expansion/ reshuffle will test Gujral's political strength, the overhaul of the PMO will test his administrative skills.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.