New Delhi, July 6
With Congress President Sonia Gandhi putting her foot down on plans for an immediate expansion of the Punjab Cabinet, the move has been deferred.
The Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, who met senior party leader Manmohan Singh today before leaving the Capital, had a brief meeting with the Congress President on Thursday. Earlier, he had
detailed talks with Ms Mohsina Kidwai, General Secretary in charge of Punjab, and AICC treasurer Motilal Vora.
Sources said the high command told Capt Amarinder Singh not to expand the Cabinet at this stage when the state was laying stress on austerity.
They pointed out that the state government had taken some harsh steps in its recent Budget and the government could not be seen as increasing its expenditure by expanding the ministry while also trying to cut it by reducing facilities to employees.
The Congress President has been emphasising austerity and has been talking about it in all her meetings with the party Chief Ministers. Capt Amarinder Singh had come with a list of MLAs to be made ministers but has deferred the move now. There was also a feeling at the AICC that with the Congress government in the state having just completed four months, it would be too early to go in for a Cabinet expansion or a
reshuffle. “It is too short a time to judge the performance of ministers and to decide on a reshuffle,” a senior AICC leader said.
The MLAs, who had come to Delhi with big hopes, have all since returned to their constituencies.
Meanwhile, the high command is narrowing down on names for the new PCC chief in the state. With the consultations on the choice of PCC chief having been completed, the decision is expected to be taken by next week. Ms Kidwai, it is learnt, has given her recommendations to the Congress President for a final decision.
