New Delhi, March 3
The Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, today dismissed reports about a possible exit of the Union Rural Development Minister, Mr Shanta Kumar, from the Council of Ministers.

To a question “If he was going to drop Mr Shanta Kumar from the Cabinet”, Mr Vajpayee said such big issues were not decided like this and pointed his hand downwards.

The Prime Minister was confronted with the question as he was about to proceed to the Lok Sabha for giving a reply to the motion of thanks on the President’s address to the joint session of Parliament.

Political circles were agog today with rumours that Mr Shanta Kumar may be dropped from the Union Cabinet in the backdrop of the Prime Minister’s yesterday observations that factionalism in the party was responsible for the defeat of the BJP in Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections.

While Mr Shanta Kumar’s plain speaking on the party’s performance is being criticised by a certain section of the party, the Prime Minister is not going to take any action now as it will send wrong signals to the electorate of the hilly state, sources said.