The Hindu : Kerala News : Jacob, Pillai to be `temporarily' dropped

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Sep 04, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

Jacob, Pillai to be `temporarily' dropped

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, SEPT. 3. Two coalition partners of the Congress in the United Democratic Front (UDF) Government in Kerala will "temporarily'' be dropped from the new Chief Minister, Oommen Chandy's Council of Ministers. That the Kerala Congress (B) leader, Balakrishna Pillai, and the Kerala Congress (Jacob) leader, T.M. Jacob, will not be included in the Cabinet expansion - slated for this Sunday morning - was confirmed by Mr. Chandy here this evening after his meeting with the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi.

Though the Chief Minister side-stepped questions on whether these portfolios would go to the Congress, he maintained there would be no vacuum owing to the non-inclusion of the two allies in the Cabinet; lending credence to the possibility of an increase in the number of Congress Ministers in the new Cabinet from the existing eight to 10.

Details about the number of Congress Ministers and their identity, Mr. Chandy said, would be announced in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday after discussions with the party's senior leadership in the State. Evidently, the Congress central leadership has called for changes in the list of names - drawn up in consultation with the former Chief Minister, A.K. Antony, the veteran Congressman, K. Karunakaran, and the Pradesh Congress Committee president, Thennala Balakrishna Pillai.

According to Mr. Chandy, the high command had authorised him to announce his Council of Ministers but before doing that he needed to consult his senior colleagues within the State unit. In fact, prior to going in for his meeting with Ms. Gandhi, the Chief Minister had maintained that the central leadership would announce the new Ministry in the capital today itself. However, on his return over an hour later, he was singing a different tune.

On his first visit to the Capital after taking over, Mr. Chandy had a packed schedule. He was closeted in a meeting with the AICC in-charge of Kerala, Ahmed Patel, till the wee hours of the morning and later had a breakfast meeting with the Union Minister of State for External Affairs, E. Ahamad, of the Indian Union Muslim League — a UDF constituent.

Thangal to decide

After the meeting, Mr. Ahamad said the League's Ministers would be decided by his party chief, Panakkad Mohammad Ali Shihab Thangal, on Saturday.

As for the League surrendering certain portfolios — a demand within the Congress in the State — the possibility appeared remote with all concerned maintaining that ministries had been allocated to parties for the entire duration of the government.

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