M A I N   N E W S

Bhattal may get key portfolio
Swearing-in of ministers put off
Prabhjot Singh
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 3
Will Mrs Rajinder Kaur Bhattal take the oath as a member of the Punjab Council of Ministers?

Her name reportedly figures in the tentative list of Ministers drawn up by the party leadership.

Sources reveal that the AICC has persuaded the former Punjab Chief Minister to take an important position and portfolio in the Council of Ministers led by Capt Amarinder Singh.

Though the new council was expected to take office on Monday, the death of the Lok Sabha Speaker in an air crash and the subsequent declaration of national mourning for two days has led to the postponement of the ceremony. The oath taking ceremony may take place on Tuesday or Wednesday now, the sources said.

While some names have been in circulation for the past several days, the inordinate delay in the approval of the list by the party high command has given credence to speculation, including efforts to end dissensions within the CLP and present it as a “unified and strong unit”.

At one stage, Mrs Bhattal’s name was being mentioned for the post of PPCC chief. While the party high command wants the Chief Minister to hold that post for the time being, Mrs Bhattal is being sounded for an important position in the Council of Ministers.

Mrs Bhattal had, however, made it clear that after remaining the Chief Minister, she would not accept the post of a Deputy Chief Minister or Cabinet Minister. She also accepted the decision of Mrs Sonia Gandhi to make Capt Amarinder Singh the Leader of the Congress Legislature Party.

When contacted, Ms Bhattal said she was not aware of any such development. "Neither has anybody talked to me nor anything conveyed to me so far. I have told the party high command that I was ready to work anywhere it wants me in the interest of the party," she said, adding that she went to New Delhi a couple of days ago and submitted a list of some senior Congress legislators to the high command for inclusion in the Council of Ministers. "After that, no one has talked to me," she added.

Though the composition of the council has been delayed again, the sources said that the party high command did not want the Chief Minister to travel to the union capital again for this purpose alone. Instead he had been advised to send his list to the AICC where after consultation, an approved list would be communicated to him.

Sources close to the party high command said that some of the senior legislators, including Dr Kewal Krishan, Mr Raghunath Sahay Puri, Mr Lal Singh, Mr Kushal Behl, Mr Gurchet Singh Bhullar, Mr Darbari Lal, Mr Harnam Dass Johar, Mr Rakesh Pandey, Mr Partap Singh Bajwa, Mr Raj Khurana, Mr Bir Devinder Singh, Mr Avtar Henry, Mr Mohinder Singh Kaypee, Ch Santokh Singh, Ch Jagjit Singh, Mr Malkiat Singh Birmi, Mrs Razia Sultan, Mrs Harbans Kaur Dullo and Mr Raj Kumar were certain to be included in the Council of Ministers.

The others names being mentioned for inclusion in the council are those of Mr Gurmeet Singh Sodhi, Rana Gurjeet Singh, Rana KP Singh, Mr Jagmohan Singh Kang, Mr Tej Parkash Singh or Mrs Gurkanwal Kaur, Mr Arvind Khanna and Mr Surinder Singla.

The names of Dr Kewal Krishan and Mr Ramesh Chander Dogra are also being mentioned for the posts of Speaker and Deputy Speaker, respectively.

Dr Kewal Krishan is also a front- runner for the portfolio of Finance Minister, sources in the party high command said, maintaining that "as far as possible first timers would be avoided in the Council of Ministers".

An official announcement from Raj Bhavan here this evening did not give a new date for the swearing-in ceremony.

Informed sources in Raj Bhavan said that they had been asked to be prepared for the induction of about two dozen Ministers.

Amarinder, Sonia meeting put off
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 3
The much-awaited meeting between the Punjab Chief Minister, the Capt Amarinder Singh and Congress President, Ms Sonia Gandhi, was postponed today. The second round of consultations over the composition of his Council of Ministers was postponed following the sudden death of Lok Sabha Speaker G.M.C Balayogi in a helicopter crash in Andhra Pradesh today.

The AICC treasurer, Mr Motilal Vora, who is also in charge of Punjab Affairs told TNS here today that the meeting could not take place as Ms Gandhi left for Hyderabad. He said the Punjab Chief Minister had already handed over to Ms Gandhi a list spelling out his choice of the Council of Ministers.

Mr Vora said Ms Gandhi had to take a final decision in this regard. While refusing to divulge the number of names enlisted by Capt Amarinder Singh, Mr Vora hinted that the size of his Cabinet would be small.

Capt Amarinder Singh had a brief meeting with Ms Gandhi on Friday. Although they discussed the situation in the state, the much-awaited agenda of the Council of Ministers could not be discussed at length. Sources in the Congress said Ms Gandhi told Capt Amarinder Singh that she had not been able to contemplate on issues pertaining to the government formation in Punjab as she was pre -occupied with issues of violence in Gujarat and the government formation in Uttaranchal.

Badal blames Reliance for SAD-BJP defeat

Killianwali (Muktsar), March 3
Former Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today lashed out at the country’s industrial giant Reliance group by holding it responsible for spending huge amount of money “to influence both print and electronic media for the downfall of Akali-BJP alliance” in the Punjab elections.

“The Congress managed to exploit resources of this company (Reliance) which spent crores of rupees to hit badly the Akai-BJP coalition through poll surveys and wrong media projection,” the former Chief Minister said. UNI