New Delhi - Others   

Dissident Ministers `report to work'

Special Correspondent

New development is the result of their meeting with party president Rajnath Singh in Delhi

JAIPUR: It is not known what "mantra" the party president Rajnath Singh gave them the other day but the dissident Ministers in the Rajasthan Cabinet, who returned to the State Capital after meeting him in Delhi, reported for "work" on Monday. Until now some of them were playing truant with their vanishing tricks at the Cabinet meetings and absenteeism from office.

In fact, it was the collective "protest" of six Ministers who abstained from the Cabinet meeting convened by Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje on January 24 in Kota that had brought out simmering discontent within the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in the State and the Cabinet.

Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria, one of the three Ministers who met Mr. Rajnath Singh to register their protest, attended his office at the State Secretariat. He also attended a Cabinet Sub-Committee meeting along with another dissident Minister, Ghanshyam Tiwari, and Water Resources Minister Sanwarlal Jat. The latter is a Raje loyalist.

Even Madan Dilawar, who was divested of one of his portfolios last week for his "quirks" and also his outbursts against Raje favourite and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Rajendra Rathore, attended to his work -- this time at the Cottage Ward of the Sawai Man Singh Medical College Hospital, where his mother is admitted.

"I am very much on the job," Mr.Kataria told a group of journalists who asked him about the outcome of his visit to Delhi. He refused to say anything more.

Ms. Raje was away in Delhi to hold discussions with Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia on the 11th Five Year Plan allocation for Rajasthan. Ms. Raje too had met Mr.Rajnath Singh on Sunday.

Interestingly, when the protesting group turned up for duty, it was seemingly the turn of a Raje supporter to sulk.

Mr. Rathore, also a member of the Cabinet Sub-Committee set up for deciding on opening of new colleges under Kota University and Bikaner University, did not join the group during the day. Instead, he went to Jhunjhunu district. Mr. Rathore was made the Minister in charge of Jhunjhunu in a reshuffle of districts by Ms. Raje recently.

"The Sub-Committee meeting was scheduled in advance. However, I had to go to Jhunjhunu," Mr. Rathore cryptically explained his position. Both Mr. Dilawar and Mahavir Jain, Chief Whip of the ruling party in the Rajasthan Assembly, had lambasted Mr. Rathore the other day for what they termed his "cavalier" attitude to the rest of the Ministers.

What transpired between Mr. Rajnath Singh and the threesome -- Mr. Kataria, Mr. Tiwari and Mr. Dilawar -- who met him? Mr. Singh seemingly told them to keep quiet for the time being -- till the Assembly elections in some of the States are over.

"We informed the party high command about our position. I don't want to say anything more at this juncture," Mr. Tiwari said.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Punjab back on the rails: Manmohan
Dissident Ministers `report to work'
Big deals at Stonemart
Hooda's charge against Amarinder on SYL canal
Congress may contest all U.P. seats: Gehlot
Sonia to address Sirsa rally
Child rescued from 56 feet borewell
PM, Sonia to address election rallies

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu