The Hindu : 'Decision on Sushma no reflection on Mahajan'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jul 08, 2002

National

National

'Decision on Sushma no reflection on Mahajan'

NEW DELHI JULY 7. The designation of Information and Broadcasting Minister, Sushma Swaraj, as the spokesperson for the Union Cabinet is no reflection on her predecessor and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pramod Mahajan, highly placed BJP sources said today.

Till December 1998, the Cabinet had no spokesperson and it was the Principal Information Officer who used to brief the media about Cabinet meetings and decisions.

``It was on the suggestion of Mr. Mahajan himself that political decisions must be communicated politically and that the work was assigned to the Information and Broadcasting Minister,'' the sources said.

Mr. Mahajan thus became the first political spokesperson of the Cabinet, the sources added.

Later, when Arun Jaitley followed by Ms. Sushma Swaraj became the Information and Broadcasting Minister, they urged Mr. Mahajan to continue saying he was doing a good job.

However, it was later decided to revert to the initial decision of the Information and Broadcasting Minister being made the Cabinet spokesperson, the sources said.

They regretted reports that the move was aimed at diluting Mr. Mahajan's position in any manner whatsoever. — PTI

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'Decision on Sushma no reflection on Mahajan'