Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's decision to keep the finance portfolio for himself drew sharp criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party which said it was too vast a ministry to be adjunct of the PMO.
"I think the finance ministry is too big and too important a job to be adjunct of the Prime Minister's Office," BJP leader and former Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha said.
He said if Singh becomes the finance minister in addition to his responsibilities as prime minister then "I don't think he would be able to do justice to the finance minister's office."
Singh appointed Finance Minister P Chidambaram as the Home Minister succeeding Shivraj Patil who resigned owning responsibility for the Mumbai terror attacks.