New Delhi, April 8
A day after former Rural Development Minister Shanta Kumar quit the Vajpayee Cabinet at the direction of the Bharatiya Janata Party high command, there was speculation today in the party circles over his possible accommodation in the central office of the organisation after a reshuffle.

While some BJP leaders say that the action against Mr Shanta Kumar was "too severe" and it should not be a problem for the high command to accommodate him in the party’s central office, others say that a person who has been asked to quit on the ground of indiscipline should not be accommodated, at least in the near future.

The speculation seems to be linked to reports that the party vice presidents, Mr Kailashpati Mishra and Mr Pyarelal Khandelwal, are up for gubernatorial assignments. In that event, Mr Shanta Kumar can be accommodated as one of the party vice-presidents.

When contacted, the BJP Parliamentary Party spokesman, Mr Vijay Kumar Malhotra, refused to comment on the issue.

As another round of Assembly elections is slated for later this year and the Lok Sabha elections are expected next year, the party would not like to antagonise a senior leader like Mr Shanta Kumar. There could be a thinking among the top leadership to accommodate him in the party organisation, a BJP leader said.