In MP, ministers yet to get portfolios; Kamal Nath takes jibe at Shivraj Chouhan

BHOPAL: Five days after they took oath of secrecy and office, the 28 newly inducted ministers of the Shivraj Singh Chouhan Cabinet are still awaiting their portfolios.

Their wait could be longer as Chouhan returned to Bhopal empty-handed on Tuesday morning despite having spent two days in Delhi consulting with the BJP brass.

“I’ll work out the matter till today (Tuesday) and allocate the portfolios soon,” he said. Informed sources within the BJP confided to TNIE that Jyotiraditya Scindia’s pressure to allocate plum portfolios to his loyalists could be possibly delaying the portfolios allocation to the new ministers.

Sources added that the deadlock seems to be over key departments, including urban development, PWD, revenue, health, transport, water resources, PHE, commercial taxes, excise, school education and women-child development.

As per sources the Scindia camp not only wants key portfolios for seven cabinet ministers, but also independent charge for four Ministers of State.

Scindia reportedly met with BJP national vice-president and in-charge for MP, Vinay Sahastrabudhe over the issue on Monday evening in Delhi.

Chouhan too wants key portfolios for his men, including Bhupendra Singh, Jagdish Devra and Arvind Bhadoriya, while he is keen on important positions to former Congress MLAs Bisahulal Singh, Aidal Singh Kansana and HS Dang.

“Possibly, the list has been finalised and intimated to the CM, who is holding it for a day to present that it was he who actually finalised the portfolios,” a BJP leader said.

Taking a dig, Congress state president Kamal Nath said it’s all the result of politics of deals.

“The government was formed as part of a deal. The Council of Ministers’ constitution was also another part of deal and the portfolios will also be allocated out of deal.”

Retired engineer’s stinging letter to CM

Meanwhile, a Neemuch-based retired electrical engineer has written to the CM raising the issue of 14 non-MLAs being made ministers on July 2.

“If 14 non-MLAs can be appointed ministers, even I deserve to be part of your council of ministers for being a commoner,” he wrote.

(THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS)

1381 Days ago