Sunday, May 25, 2003, Chandigarh, India
Updated at 3:00 am (IST)

3 new Cabinet ministers sworn in

Five Ministers of State also inducted into Vajpayee’s ministry New Delhi, May 24 In a much-awaited Cabinet expansion-cum-reshuffle, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today named three new Cabinet ministers and five Ministers of State to the Union Council of Ministers. The Cabinet ministers are Major-Gen B.C. Khanduri (retd), Mr Rajnath Singh and Mr Subodh Mohite, while the Ministers of State are Mr Prahlad Patel, Mr Kailash Meghwal, Swamy Chinmayanand, Mr Nagmani and Mr P.C. Thomas.    Reshuffle with an eye on coming polls Nation page:    Rebel MP spoils Mamata party

Rajnath Singh Mamata Banerjee

UP RLD ministers to quit
No immediate threat to Mayawati govt
New Delhi, May 24
A day after Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Ajit Singh was forced to resign from the Vajpayee Cabinet, all five ministers of the party today decided to resign from the Mayawati government in Uttar Pradesh.  In video (28k, 56k)

INLD retains Fatehabad seat
Fatehabad, May 24
The Indian National Lok Dal today won the Fatehabad Assembly byelection retaining the seat which fell vacant after the death of its MLA, Mr Leela Krishan. The party’s nominee Ms Swatantra Bala Chowdhary defeated her nearest rival Mr Dura Ram of the Congress by 7672 votes.

 Haryana page:
A lacklustre performance in Fatehabad

Let Pervez time his exit as army chief: Jamali
Islamabad, May 24
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali has called on the Opposition to stop pressuring President Pervez Musharraf to relinquish his position as head of the armed forces, saying that the General should be allowed to decide the timing of such a move.

  Pak oppn predicts national crisis
  Pak, USA discuss defence ties

Cop kills Dy Commandant, surrenders
Mumbai, May 24
The CISF constable Raj Namdeo, who shot dead his Deputy Commandant A. Karandekar and took hostage six colleagues, surrendered tonight. Airport officials said Namdeo surrendered at 0040 hrs after he talked to his parents.

No place for tainted: Hanspal
Phillaur, May 24
The Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee chief, Mr H.S. Hanspal, today asserted that there was no place in the party for people with a criminal or a tainted image and only honest and upright Congressmen would be given key party posts.

Apology
Chandigarh, May 24
Apropos the news-item, HC Judge’s name included in FIR, published in these columns on May 24, The Tribune tenders an unqualified and unconditional apology. The report was not intended to defame any person or scandalise the judiciary.