The Hindu : BJP hints at Cabinet expansion in U.P.

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jun 04, 2003

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BJP hints at Cabinet expansion in U.P.

LUCKNOW JUNE 3. In an attempt to keep its flock together and stop rebellion, the Bhartiya Janata Party today hinted at a Cabinet expansion of the Mayawati-led Government in Uttar Pradeh after June 18. ``We will have a detailed discussion about expansion of the Ministry after June 18 so that BJP quota could be filled,'' the U.P. BJP chief, Vinay Katiyar, said here today.

Five ministerial berths, including two of Cabinet rank, have fallen vacant after the Rashtriya Lok Dal withdrew support to the Mayawati-led Government.

The party would fill its quota of Ministers and the process would start after he finished the Jan Jagran Yatra on June 18, Mr. Katiyar said.

The party bosses would use the vacant ministerial berths to check the growing resentment in the party, BJP sources said.

Following the unprecedented unity shown by Opposition parties in trying to topple the State Government, the BJP has become aware of its vulnerability. The Rashtriya Kranti Party chief, Kalyan Singh, had claimed that many of the BJP legislators were in touch with him.

Governor's role flayed

The Samajwadi Party today alleged that the Uttar Pradesh Governor, Vishnu Kant Shastri, was siding with the Mayawati Government to prevent it from being toppled.

The party national general secretary, Kunwar Reoti Raman Singh, demanded that the Governor either convene a special session of the Assembly to let the Chief Minister prove her majority or else dismiss it. A meeting of the Opposition parties had been convened in Lucknow on June 10 to chalk out strategy.

`A desperate bid'

The statement of nine independent legislators reaffirming their support to the Mayawati Government is perceived in Opposition quarters as a desperate bid by the ruling BSP-BJP combine to show that there is no threat to the Government despite an Opposition move to dislodge it. — PTI

13 RLD MLAs in Kashmir

This time round, the "most sought after'' MLAs of the Rashtriya Lok Dal headed by the former Union Minister, Ajit Singh, have chosen Kashmir as their "hideout". Four more of them arrived here today.

Nine MLAs of the RLD headed by Samarpal Singh arrived here from Bhopal on Monday and straightway drove to a hotel on the banks of the Dal Lake. Today, four more MLAs, Pratap Chowdary, Virendra Singh, Ranvir Singh, Kuka Bahi Hamid, joined them. But all of them later left for the tourist spot Gulmarg.

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