Saifuddin Soz, Veerendra Kumar inducted as ministers

Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi

The Deve Gowda government on Thursday witnessed a mini expansion of the council of ministers with Professor Saifuddin Soz and media executive M P Veerendra Kumar being sworn in as ministers. While Prof Soz has been accorded a cabinet rank, Veerendra Kumar will be a minister of state.

With the swearing in of these two, the strength of the Deve Gowda government has gone up to 41.

President Shankar Dayal Sharma administered the oath of office to Soz and Kumar at the imposing Ashoka Hall at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. The portfolios will be announced later.

The induction of these newly-inducted ministers showed that Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda relented to Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah's demand to accommodate Soz in the federal cabinet. Prof Soz is a Rajya Sabha member.

Significantly, the National Conference had boycotted the parliamentary polls last year because former prime minister P V Narasimha Rao refused to give his party the concessions it was seeking. However, the National Conference changed its tune when the assembly elections were held with Abdullah eventual becoming chief minister.

Thus, the cabinet expansion was chiefly affected to give representation to the National Conference in his government by Deve Gowda.

Veerendra Kumar is a noted Janata Dal member of Parliament from Kerala. He was also a minister in the state's non-communist government for a short while.

Meanwhile, talking to reporters after the swearing in ceremony, the prime pointed out that his government was ready to face the no-confidence motion sought to be moved by George Fernandes of the Samata Party. The latter's ally, the Bharatiya Janata Party, had earlier advised Fernandes not to press ahead with the no-confidence motion. The BJP's opinion was that since the no-confidence motion at the present juncture is likely to be defeated on the floor of the Lok Sabha, the opportunity should not be wasted.

The BJP apparently feels that the recent developments in the Congress might lead to the party splitting later while budget session of Parliament is on, and hence it would be more appropriate to move the no-confidence motion at such a moment.

Such logic was also evidently responsible for the prime minister's upbeat mood, and he indicated that his ruling coalition would defeat any no-confidence motion against it.

UNI