Samata Party and Sharad Yadav of JD(U) have locked horns over the civil aviation portfolio even as Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee prepares to reshufle his Union Council of Ministers today.
According to highly-placed sources in the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the Samata Party has requested the Prime Minister to give the civil aviation portfolio to Nitish Kumar, if the Prime Minister inducted him into the Cabinet.
It appears that some feelers were sent to Yadav as he is said to have threatened to resign if his portfolio was taken away. His argument is that such an act, coming close on the heels of the controversy over his involvement in Alliance Air flight diversion to Patna, would amount to his public censuring by the Prime Minister.
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While some in the NDA said that the Prime Minister might find it difficult to ignore the anger of Sharad Yadav, particularly when the NDA has already opened a front against Bihar leader and RJD president Laloo Yadav. A sulking Yadav might give the Prime Minister an anti-Yadav image.
Samata Party leaders are said to be lobbying for civil aviation as they are said to be under the impression that the Prime Minister might ultimately persuade Yadav not to resign and agree to move to another portfolio. Since agriculture is considered a high profile portfolio, they were speculating that Yadav might be persuaded to accept that. Yadav's turf weakened after media flashed reports of his role in diversion of an Alliance Air flight from its route to land in Patna to oblige some Bihar MPs. Though it was Samata Party MP Prabhunath Singh who called Yadav on his mobile asking him to divert the flight to Patna, Samata Party's official spokesman Shambhu Saran Srivastava was quick in demanding a public apology by Yadav.
As for Prabhunath Singh, the incident appears to have marred his chances of getting into the Council of Ministers, even though he is a strong aspirant, feel NDA sources.
According to a Samata Party source, in case the Prime Minister does not induct Nitish Kumar, Samata might get two ministers of state. The names of Raghunath Jha and Mahendra Baitha are being taken in the party circle for that. If these two are not inducted then the second line is of Manje Lal and Brahmanand Mandal.
Nitish Kumar had resigned as the Cabinet minister for agriculture earlier this year in order to become the Chief Minister of Bihar for a few days. The coal portfolio which fell vacant after BJD leader Navin Patnaik moved to Cuttak as Orissa Chief Minister, was also considered for Nitish. However, the BJD has requested the Prime Minister that the portfolio should remain with the party. The name of Arjun Sethi has been recommended by the party to the Prime Minister for the expansion.
Sources also maintain that in case the BJP decided to send Union surface transport minister Rajnath Singh to Lucknow as the new Chief Minister in the place of Ram Prakash Gupta, it would not like to let go of the portfolio out of the party.
The reason being sited is the fact that the golden qudrangle highway is the pet project of the Prime Minister.
The name of Sushma Swaraj was also being taken as one of the probables for the Cabinet berth. The BJP is also said to be pushing for Muni Ram, a scheduled caste leader belonging to the chamar sub-caste of Bihar for a minister of state position. It is being said that Muni Ram might be given social welfare, the portfolio which is currently held by Maneka Gandhi.