M A I N   N E W S

PM has sore throat; Cabinet meeting put off
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 21
The Cabinet meeting scheduled to finalise the Tenth Plan proposal was postponed today as Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee was suffering from a “throat problem”.

A spokesman of the Prime Minister’s Office said the Cabinet meeting scheduled for today was postponed. “The Prime Minister is very much in good health, but as the doctors advised him rest due to throat problem, the meeting he is to have chaired is postponed”, he said.

The Prime Minister also cancelled all his morning engagements, the sources added.

Yesterday, Mr Vajpayee cut short his two-day visit to Lucknow, cancelling some of his programmes, including a press conference, citing health reasons. He returned to Delhi nearly six hours ahead of the scheduled time.

In the morning, the Prime Minister did not attend a function of the Indian National Science Academy. He was to have inaugurated the 8th General Conference and 13th general meeting of the Third World Academy of Sciences. His speech at the function was read out in absentia.

The Prime Minister is keeping good health and it is only the “bad throat” that forced him to cancel some engagements. “If his throat condition improves by evening, he might keep up some of the engagements listed later for the day”, the spokesman said.

The spokesman also denied reports that the Prime Minister cut short his Lucknow visit yesterday to avoid meeting dissident BJP legislators of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly.