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Journalism of Courage
The BJP is heading for a major churning as the countdown begins for a reshuffle of the Atal Behari Vajpayee Ministry tomorrow.
According to indications available till late tonight, Telecommunications Minister Pramod Mahajan, Coal and Mines Minister Uma Bharati and Ministers of State Vasundhara Raje and Raman Singh are bound for the party while BJP general secretary Arun Jaitley is set to return to the Government. Former Health Minister C P Thakur too may be taken back.
Bharati submitted her resignation today. Sources disclosed that Law Minister K Jana Krishnamurthi, Ministers of State Rita Verma and Nikhil Choudhary are likely to be dropped. Those tipped to be inducted as ministers of state include Dilip Singh Judeo from Chhattisgarh and Pushp Jain from Rajasthan.
The consequent reshuffle of portfolios may affect Petroleum Minister Ram Naik, Information and Broadcasting Minister Sushma Swaraj, Disinvestment Minister Arun Shourie, Health Minister Shatrughan Sinha, Tourism and Culture Minister Jagmohan, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Ramesh Bais and Minister of State for Law Ravi N Prasad. Jaitley is likely to get back law.
Swaraj may be assigned health and parliamentary affairs while Prasad may be given independent charge of information and broadcasting. Sinha is likely to be shifted to a lighter portfolio. Disinvestment may go to Finance Minister Jaswant Singh. Though these decisions are obviously subject to change between now and 7.15 pm tomorrow — the scheduled time for the swearing-in ceremony — the picture will start clearing up after a crucial meeting between Prime Minister Vajpayee and Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani tomorrow morning.
Some changes were set in motion by Advani after a meeting with BJP president M Venkaiah Naidu at his residence this evening. Mahajan, Jaitley and Bharati called on him thereafter.
Indications of Mahajan’s exit emerged when Naidu told journalists that he had ‘‘urged both Vajpayee and Advani that in case any senior party leader is brought into the government, it should be made up for by sending back some senior leader to the organisation.’’
Bharati, who will lead the party election campaign in Madhya Pradesh, promptly sent in her resignation. However, Krishnamurthi and Vasundhara were disinclined to do so. Krishnamurthi may ultimately surive, but his exit from the Law Ministry is considered certain.
Sources disclosed that Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat has been requested by the BJP leadership to persuade Vasundhara to come round and devote herself totally to party work in Rajasthan as president of the state unit.
The fate of another minister of state, Raman Singh, president of the Chhattisgarh unit, is linked to her.
If she sends in her resignation, Vajpayee may forward Raman Singh’s resignation, handed to him earlier, to the President.
