Jagmohan yields to pressure

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, SEPT. 3. Much to the relief of the prime ministerial aides, Mr. Jagmohan took charge of his new responsibility as Minister of Tourism. Also, Mr. Sharad Yadav and Mr. Ram Vilas Paswan, the two Cabinet Ministers who lost their prime assignments in last Saturday's reshuffle, took charge of their new Ministries.

There was considerable suspense till this evening whether or not Mr. Jagmohan would accept his new assignment. Fingers were kept crossed till Mr. Jagmohan announced at a press conference that he would indeed look after the Tourism Ministry. An hour later a happy-looking Mr. Jagmohan posed for photographers at his new ministerial chambers.

However, Mr. Jagmohan made it be known that he was not happy at being shifted out of the Ministry of Urban Development, where he had launched a sustained drive against encroachers and slum- lords. He catalogued the telephonic talks and personal visits he had with various BJP and government leaders before he was persuaded not to put in his papers.

According to Mr. Jagmohan, he spoke to the Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, on Saturday evening as soon as it became known that he was to lose charge of the Urban Development Ministry. The same evening he met Mr. L. K. Advani to register his unhappiness. The next day, on Sunday, he had telephonic conversations with Mr. Advani and Mr. Jaswant Singh.

Then he is believed to have shot off a letter of protest to the Prime Minister, joining issue with fellow-BJP MPs from the capital. On the other hand, the BJP's Delhi unit has been pointing it out to the Prime Minister that if the party wanted to win the coming Municipal Corporation elections, the least he could do to help was to shift Mr. Jagmohan. In the end, the political argument prevailed.

This morning, Mr. Jagmohan received a visit from another senior BJP leader and Minister, Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi, and later he was visited by Mr. Ananth Kumar, who has been assigned the Urban Development Ministry.

The final act of persuasion was undertaken this afternoon by Mr. Vijay Goel, newly-anointed Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office and by Mr. Brajesh Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister. It is this visit which helped Mr. Jagmohan make up his mind to go to the Tourism Ministry, even though at this meeting it was made clear to him that he would not get the Ministry of Culture.

Maneka `upset'

Meanwhile, Ms. Maneka Gandhi who now finds herself as Minister of State with independent charge of Culture, with the additional charge of Animal Care, did not assume her new responsibility. She is reported to be sulking at having been deprived of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, though she is likely to report for work on Tuesday.

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