By M Rama Rao, India Editor, Asian Tribune
New Delhi, 24May (Asiantribune.com): Prime Minister Manmohan Singh obliged his senior colleague Pranab Mukherjee who wanted to be relieved strenuous foreign office assignment which involves extensive foreign travel.
Pranab has been moved to finance in the limited allocation of portfolios announced on Saturday evening. While SM Krishna, former Karnataka Chief Minister filled his slot at the foreign office, Chidambaram, Sharad Pawar and AK Antony retained their old portfolios- home, agriculture and defence. Bengal tiger, Mamata Bannerjee, who joined the UPA cabinet for the first time, is made the railway minister.
Portfolios of other cabinet ministers will be announced in two or three days. That will coincide with the second intake on Tuesday.
After the first intake of 19-cabinet ministers on Friday, Manmohan Singh told reporters at that portfolio distribution would take two-three days. The limited allocation shows he did not want to delay distribution of ministries on which there are apparently no differences.
The new cabinet held its first meeting on Saturday. It decided to convene the new Parliament session from June 1 to June 9. President Pratibha Patil will address the new law makers on June 4 spelling out the agenda of the second Manmohan Singh government.
Both Houses of parliament will be convened later in the month to take up the budget, which should be okayed by Parliament by July 31. Otherwise, a vote on account will be necessary.
The Congress in its poll manifesto had promised its first budget within 45- days after getting voted to power.
Cong – DMK – Thaw
Tamilnadu chief minister Muthavel Karunanidhi, who is also the DMK supremo, on Saturday, issued a statement welcoming the Prime Minister's observation that he had no objection on induction of T R Baalu and A Raja into the Union Cabinet. Earlier reports said PM’s refusal to take these two DMK seniors and to give them back their old portfolios led to Chief Minister’s walk out from Delhi.
There are indications that the DMK might accept the portfolios on offer - chemicals and fertilizers, health, women and child welfare, IT, small and medium enterprises. Dayanidhi Maran, Raja and Baalu are tipped for cabinet berths while Karunanidhi's son M K Azhagiri and daughter Kanimozhi are likely to be made Ministers of State with Independent Charge. DMK may also get two more Ministers of State.
Congress senior Ghulam Nabi Azad did not mount his peace mission to Chennai. Instead he told reporters that he might go to Tamilnadu on any day – may be tomorrow, may be after a week days, may be not at all.
He told a questioner that the Congress has had no differences with the DMK and both have good equation.
- Asian Tribune -
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