Date:25/09/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/09/25/stories/2006092506391200.htm

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There will be no Dy. Prime Minister: Sonia

K.V. Prasad

Speculation in political circles scotched; says she is satisfied with Manmohan Singh's performance

USEFUL EXERCISE: Congress president Sonia Gandhi along with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at a press conference after the two-day meeting of Chief Ministers of Congress-ruled States, in Nainital on Sunday. — Photo: Sandeep Saxena

NAINITAL: Congress president and United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Sunday said the coalition Government would not have a Deputy Prime Minister, setting at rest speculation in this regard. "[There is] absolutely not going to be a Deputy Prime Minister. I am saying it categorically," Ms. Gandhi told a press conference she addressed along with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Speculation in political circles has been that a Union Minister was keen on being rechristened as the Deputy Prime Minister considering his seniority and the number of important assignments the Government had given him in addition to a key portfolio.

The Prime Minister said he would soon appoint a new External Affairs Minister and that vacancies in various Raj Bhavans would also be filled.

Summing up the two-day Chief Ministers' Conclave, Ms. Gandhi said it was a useful exercise. In answer to a query, she denied it was directed against Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar. The Ministry was working effectively, she observed.

While the problems in the agriculture sector was not new and steps had been taken to correct them, it would take time to show results, she said. Accusing the National Democratic Alliance Government of neglecting the farm sector, she said the UPA Government addressed the problem as soon as it came to power.

Ms. Gandhi disagreed with a suggestion of its ally, the Nationalist Congress Party, that all constituents should be part of a coordination committee. She said the arrangement from the beginning was that most of the constituents were part of the Government and the Left parties sought a separate mechanism since they were not part of the coalition.

As for the party's preparedness for next year's Assembly polls, she said, things were going pretty well in Uttar Pradesh and steps taken by the organisation appeared to be making a difference at the grass-roots level. She said Amethi MP Rahul Gandhi would actively take part in the State's affairs when elections were announced.

She said that while there was no need for the coalition Government to carry out any "mid-course correction", at times the speed with which the Government wanted to implement policies could not be done on account of constraints. "When you are in the Government, some issues come up and discussions are required to find out how it could be tackled in a different manner. I am satisfied with the performance of the Government and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh."