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Ibrahim may be removed to another ministry; Aviation likely for Renuka
George Iype in New Delhi
Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral will soon carry out a Cabinet
reshuffle, assign important portfolios to the four new women
ministers and shift the high-profile Minister for Civil Aviation
and Tourism Chand Mahal Ibrahim to a less important ministry.
The Telugu Desam Party, one of the main constituents of the United
Front government, has asked Gujral to ease Ibrahim out of the
civil aviation ministry and give its charge to the party's new
woman minister Renuka Chaudhury.
UF leaders said Gujral would also like to move Ibrahim to
another ministry for two reasons. Firstly, the prime
minister has made it known that he is dissatisfied with the civil
aviation policy being pursued by Ibrahim.
Mounting an indirect attack on Ibrahim, Gujral told a joint Indo-Nepal
business conference on Friday that India cannot keep pace with
globalisation as long as the country does not have an open skies
policy.
Ministry officials say the prime minister's statement is clear
indication that the present aviation policy will be throughly reviewed.
"Removing Ibrahim from the ministry is essential to carrying
out such an exercise as he has fiercely opposed the Tata-
Singapore Airlines proposal for launching an airline in the
country," a senior civil aviation ministry official said.
As external affairs minister in the Deve Gowda government, Gujral
had supported the Tata-SIA proposal.
Secondly, a section of leaders within the Janata Dal have been
pressing the prime minister to shift Ibrahim as he is seen to be
close to former premier H D Deve Gowda.
The other key change will be the appointment of a minister of
state for external affairs. The name of Salim Sherwani, minister
of state for health and Samajwadi Party MP, is being mentioned in this connection. Currently, the prime minister himself holds charge of the external
affairs ministry.
Gujral is expected to give key ministries like health and family
welfare, department of women, railways to the new woman ministers
-- Kamla Sinha, Ratnamala D Savanoor and Jayanti Natarajan.
There is a possibility that the prime minister might shift
Ibrahim to the ministry of food and civil supplies which is now being
being looked after by Agriculture Minister Chaturanan
Mishra. Devendra Prasad Yadav -- the minister of state for food and supplies in the Deve Gowda government --
was excluded from the Gujral government at Bihar Chief Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav's behest.
The 44-member Gujral ministry consists of 19 Cabinet ministers
and 25 ministers of state.
Analysts believe the reshuffle of portfolios will not help
resolve the leadership crisis in the prime minister's Janata Dal.
The party has been rocked by prospects of a fierce presidential
contest and rumours that its beleaguered president Laloo Prasad Yadav
may float his own regional party.
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