No longer a norm
Coomi Kapoor, The Indian Express
March 2, 2008
http://www.indianexpress.com/story/279084.html

There are at least eight ministers in Manmohan Singh’s government who have dual responsibilities. Along with their official duties, they have to attend to important party work, since they are either office-bearers or in charge of state units. The list of those holding more than one post — in some cases while handling two ministerial portfolios — includes Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi, Prithviraj Chavan, Oscar Fernandes, Ajay Maken, Shakeel Ahmed, Jairam Ramesh, Saifuddin Soz and Suresh Pachauri. Whatever happened to the old Congress dictum about one person, one post? When a senior party functionary was asked about this aberration, he dismissed it with the remark, “Where is the rule in the party constitution?”

Short on smiles

The customary pre-budget dinner hosted by the chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Hamid Ansari, for leaders of various political parties was wound up in an hour without much time for the usual pleasantries. The dampener on the proceedings was that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was tight lipped, and in a hurry to leave. BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi tried to lighten the mood by cracking a joke. He noted that he had just returned from Madhya Pradesh and seen many cut-outs of a beaming Suresh Pachauri, who was recently appointed PCC chief, but Pachauri remained unsmiling at the dinner. The Minister for Personnel & Parliament Affairs clearly had other things on his mind.