Gujral Bid To Assuage Renuka, Venugopalachari

Prime Minister I K Gujral tried to smooth ruffled feathers late Monday night as Renuka Chaudhary, the new minister of state for health, met him to complain against not being given independent charge of the ministry. She did not assume office yesterday, but is scheduled to do so on Thursday.

Gujral is said to have explained to her that she would be in complete charge of the ministry, and she would only have to go to him for policy decisions (Gujral has the health portfolio at the cabinet level).

Besides Chaudhary, Venugopalachari (agriculture) was also said to be unhappy at being shifted from the power ministry in the reshuffle. There was considerable surprise within the United Front over his shifting since barely two days before the reshuffle, he had accompanied Gujral to Nepal, and had signed some power agreements also.

Venugopalachari also did not assume office in his new ministry yesterday.

Telugu Desam sources said Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu had objected to the inclusion of Chaudhary in the ministry, but Gujral was said to be keen to get her in.

In the event, there was an understanding between Naidu and Gujral that she would neither be given independent charge of any ministry nor a high profile ministry.

Yesterday, four ministers assumed office in their new ministries, the rest being away. The four ministers who assumed office were: Two ministers of state in external affairs, Kamla Sinha and Saleem Sherwani, minister of state for labour M P Veerendra Kumar, and minister of state for civil aviation Jayanti Natarajan.

Two cabinet ministers with new portfolios Janeshwar Mishra (petroleum and natural gas) and M Arunachalam (chemicals and fertilisers), and five ministers of state Satpal Maharaj (finance), Y K Alagh (power), Venugopalachari (agriculture), Ratnamala Savanoor (planning) and Chaudhary were yet to assume office.

However,it was officially stated that Mishra would return to the capital on Thursday to take charge while Savanoor would take over today.