M A I N   N E W S

BJP chief offered berth
Cabinet expansion on Monday 

New Delhi, June 27
BJP President Jana Krishnamurthy has been offered a Cabinet berth as Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee plans to expand and reshuffle his Council of Ministers on July 1 which is expected to take place on a “fairly large scale”.

Amidst reports that he was a “stumbling block” in the Prime Minister’s plans, Mr Krishnamurthy today said he had received an invitation to join the government but appeared to be reluctant about the offer.

“My personal feeling is there is no necessity for me to join the Cabinet as there are enough talented persons in it,” he said but made it clear that he would quit as party president “in two minutes” if he is asked to.

Mr Krishnamurthy is expected to give his decision to Prime Minister before Vajpayee undertakes another round of consultations with his top party colleagues on Saturday on his return from Lucknow.

Rural Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu, widely tipped to takeover as BJP President in case Mr Krishnamurthy is moved out, told reporters that he was comfortable with the responsibility in the government but as a disciplined soldier of the party he would undertake any responsibility given to him by the leadership — Mr Vajpayee or Mr Krishnamurthy.

Meanwhile there are reports about the possibility of elevation of Home Minister L.K. Advani as Deputy Prime Minister, a move said to have been mooted by Defence Minister and NDA convener George Fernandes.

Asked about this, Mr Fernandes, who was in Ahmedabad said “it is the prerogative of the Prime Minister”.

Earlier, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pramod Mahajan announced that the Cabinet reshuffle would take place on Monday. The announcement came after a second round of discussion the Prime Minister had with Home Minister L.K. Advani, External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh and Mr Mahajan here.

As speculation continued on the continuance of Yashwant Sinha in the Finance portfolio, indications were that former Gujarat Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel maybe among the new entrants in the central ministry. PTI