Cabinet expansion likely today

By Harish Khare

New DELHI, JULY 21 Mr. Ajit Singh, the Rashtriya Lok Dal leader, is likely to be inducted in the Union Council of Ministers, tomorrow. The swearing-in ceremony is tentatively scheduled for tomorrow evening at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Unless the Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, succumbs to pressure at the last minute, Mr. Ajit Singh will be the sole entrant to the Union Cabinet.

There are a number of other aspirants who have been looking forward to a Cabinet expansion to find ministerial berths. Mr. Ajit Panja, Mr. P.C. Thomas, Mr. Karia Munda, Mr. ``Pappu'' Yadav, Mr. Rajiv Shukla and others are hopeful of getting accommodation in the ever-expanding Vajpayee Government. The Prime Minister's strategy seems to be to mop up as many groups and individuals as possible in order to shore up the coalition government's precarious numbers in the Lok Sabha. However, tomorrow's proposed expansion could turn out to be a solo affair. If Mr. Ajit Singh is the only person to be sworn in, then it would be the second time that a solitary expansion will have taken place. The first time such a unique Cabinet expansion took place was on June 25, 1987 when Mr. M.L. Fotedar was sworn in as a full rank Minister by Mr. R. Venkataraman (who himself had taken oath as the President of India the same morning).

The Prime Minister, Mr. Vajpayee, met the President, Mr. K.R. Narayanan, this evening and informed him about the proposed mini Cabinet expansion. The Prime Minister also briefed the President about the Agra Summit.

Mr. Ajit Singh's induction in the Union Cabinet has to do with the requirements of the Assembly poll in Uttar Pradesh, either later this year or early next year. Mr. Singh, who heads a two- member group in the Lok Sabha, is known to wield considerable influence in the Western Uttar Pradesh, and has been spearheading a campaign, demanding the carving out of a separate ``Harit Pradesh''.

The BJP has been looking for allies in Uttar Pradesh, and a Cabinet berth is one of the pre-conditions Mr. Ajit Singh has insisted on as part of a possible electoral tie-up. The BJP leadership, however, had to contend with spirited opposition to Mr. Ajit Singh's induction from Mr. Om Prakash Chautala, the Chief Minister of Haryana, who considers himself to be the leader of the Jat community in north India.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Front Page
Previous : Ex-UTI chief arrested
Next     : 'Sivaji' Ganesan dead