The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Focus on Cabinet formation

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, May 15, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Focus on Cabinet formation

By Our Tamil Nadu Bureau

CHENNAI, MAY 14. Constituents of the Democratic Progressive Alliance (DPA) were confident they would emerge on top in the Lok Sabha elections. But they might not have expected to win all 40 seats in Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry. Also, they perhaps did not expect the Congress to do so well as to come out as the single largest party and be in a position to form the government at the Centre.

Now that the Congress is all set to form a government and wants its allies to join the team, the DPA parties are considering the offer. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam chief, M. Karunanidhi, has anyhow convened a meeting of party leaders here for Saturday, when this issue could also figure in the discussions. He is expected to leave for Delhi on Sunday to meet the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, and firm up the post-election arrangements including Cabinet formation.

As such, Tamil Nadu with 39 members in the Lok Sabha — and all from the DPA — should continue to enjoy a significant representation in the Union Council of Ministers. The DMK has 16 MPs, the Congress 10, the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) six, the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) four and the two Communist parties two each.

DMK decision today

Enquiries here reveal that the DMK will decide at its executive committee meeting tomorrow about its participation in the Cabinet. The question of numbers will have to be discussed with the Congress high command. The PMK will fall in line and its leader, S. Ramadoss, will nominate the party's quota, which may be in proportion to the strength of the allies. The MDMK has decided not to join the government.

For the two Communist parties, the question of joining the Cabinet and choosing nominees will be left to the Central Committee and Politburo.

As for the Congress, the high command will have to pick ministers, giving due representation to various States. Given the number of allies and the need for regional representation, it may be difficult to provide for too many from Tamil Nadu, say sources.

The DMK has got two of its members in the Vajpayee Cabinet re-elected - Cabinet Minister T.R. Baalu and Minister of State A. Raja. The expectation seems to be that the debutant, Dayanidhi Maran, son of the late Union Minister, Murasoli Maran, may now be groomed to become the party's national face in Delhi.

The PMK nominees, if any, will be picked by Dr. Ramadoss. Party sources hint at the possibility of the new Pondicherry MP, Prof. Ramadoss, getting the nod.

Though Congress functionaries refuse to discuss names, the expectation is that the former Finance Minister, P. Chidambaram, will find a berth. The other potential candidates from the State are K.V. Thangkabalu, Mani Shankar Aiyer and R. Prabhu.

The TNCC president, G.K. Vasan, is also being projected by his followers, who think that a Cabinet berth may be a reward for the success in the elections. There is also the feeling that Ms. Gandhi prefers new faces.

By early next week, it will be clear how many MPs from the State make it to the Union Cabinet. From 1996, Tamil Nadu has enjoyed a significant presence in the Union Council of Ministers, thanks to the successive coalition governments.

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