5-Member Ministry Sworn In

A five-member BSP-BJP coalition ministry headed by Mayawati was sworn in yesterday here, ending over five-month spell of Presidents rule in the state.

Besides 41-year-old Mayawati, Kalraj Misra, president of state BJP unit, and his party colleague, Lalji Tandon and R K Chaudhury and Sukhdev Raj Bhar, both BSP, were sworn in as cabinet ministers under a power-sharing accord between the two parties. The expanded cabinet will be announced on March 27.

The oath taking ceremony was markedly different, in tempo and elan and spirit then on June 1995.

The crowds were quiet and clapped whenever their leaders appeared on the rostrum. But otherwise there was no shouting, no excitement and not much hope either.

There were about 10,000 people in the half filled stands of the KD Singh Babu stadium, where the ceremony took place.

No new slogans were coined. There were the general slogans of Zindabad. Unlike in 95, when the oath taking was in the Raj Bhawan.

Small excited crowds had assembled. They were shouting: Kalyan Singh-Kanshi Ram, Jai Shri Ram, Jai Shri Ram.

There was chaos during the oath taking ceremony. Romesh Bhandari cannot read Hindi. He was given his part of the oath in Roman English. But what he was speaking and what Mayawati was repeating were entirely different.

Then an official intervened to say that the Governor will only read the first word and the rest should be taken as read. The oath taker will read fully his or her part of the oath.

Some BJP people did play holi outside the stadium. But inside the BSP followers were more numerous then those of the BJP.

The BJP office did not present a festive look.