NEW DELHI, 25 May 2003 — Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee yesterday carried out yet another Cabinet overhaul bringing in six new faces and shuffling others in a political exercise aimed at upcoming state and general elections.
Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Rajnath Singh was the most prominent of those inducted into the Cabinet, making a comeback after three years.
The portfolios of five ministers, including two of Cabinet rank, were changed in the eleventh reshuffle of the Vajpayee council of ministers since it took power for the third time in 1999. The top ministries remained untouched.
The exercise was largely confined to Vajpayee’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of elections due in four states later this year and the Lok Sabha polls next year.
But the prime minister hinted at another expansion to accommodate a piqued Trinamool Congress chief, Mamata Banerjee, who decided at the eleventh hour to stay away from the oath-taking after the BJP tried to give a ministerial berth to her party rival Sudip Bandyopadhyay.
“There may be another minor reshuffle shortly. We are holding talks with Mamata Banerjee to resolve the issue,” Vajpayee told reporters after President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam administered the oaths of office and secrecy to the new ministers at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
The prime minister leaves for a three-nation Europe tour on Tuesday.
Rajnath Singh, a heavyweight of the BJP becomes the new agriculture minister, replacing Ajit Singh who was forced to quit following growing differences of his Rashtriya Lok Dal with the BJP.
Ajit Singh’s resignation triggered minor political tremors in India’s most populous state of Uttar Pradesh as his 14 party legislators withdrew support to Chief Minister Mayawati, a BJP ally.
But political analysts said there was no imminent threat to the year-old government of Mayawati.
B.C. Khanduri, minister of state, was promoted to the Cabinet rank in charge of road transport and highways as a reward for his good performance in implementing the prime minister’s pet scheme of linking the four corners of the country through world class highways and expressways.
Shripad Yesso Naik steps in as minister of state in charge of road transport and highways. He was earlier in the civil aviation ministry.
Shiv Sena MP Subodh Mohite was appointed to the Cabinet as heavy industries minister replacing his party colleague Balasaheb Vikhe Patil, who quit earlier on a directive from his party supremo Bal Thackeray.
Syed Shahnawaz Hussain was shifted from the high profile Civil Aviation Ministry to the Textile Ministry, while Rajiv Pratap Rudy takes over from him as minister of state with independent charge of civil aviation.
Kanshi Ram Rana, who was in charge of textiles, will now take over as rural development minister. Five others, Kailash Meghwal, Prahlad Singh Patel, P.C. Thomas, Swami Chinmayanand and Nagmani were inducted as ministers of state.
Thomas, who belongs to the Indian Federal Democratic Party and is the first minister to represent Kerala in Vajpayee’s ministerial council, is assigned to the Law and Justice Ministry.
Nagmani, an MP of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (Democratic), has been given the Social Justice Ministry as also Meghwal, a BJP MP from Rajasthan. Chinmayanand is minister of state for home. Patel has been given the Coal Ministry.
Vijay Goel has been shifted from parliamentary affairs to youth affairs and sports. Sumitra Mahajan becomes minister in the Ministry of Petroleum and Gas, replacing Santosh Gangwar who has been moved to labor as well as parliamentary affairs.
Ashok Pradhan has been made minister of state for communications and IT.
Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, Vajpayee, his deputy L.K. Advani, former Prime Minister I.K. Gujral and many ministers and political leaders were present at the short ceremony.
