Resignations of Kumar, Bansal won't rock UPA: Shinde

Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Saturday said the resignations of Union ministers Ashwani Kumar and Pawan Kumar Bansal would not pose any danger to the United Progressive Alliance government.

"There is no danger to UPA government. The decisions taken by the prime minister and the two ministers are right. We are set to complete full term," he told reporters on the sidelines of a function in Pune.

When asked if the image of the UPA government had taken a beating, he said, "It is a matter of debate."

Asked about reports that he was likely to be brought back to Maharashtra to replace Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan before the next elections, Shinde said he was not aware of any such proposal.

"If there was such a proposal, I would have come to know as I am a member of the core group. There are rumours floating in Maharashtra," he said.

Talking about the recent incursion by Chinese soldiers, the home minister said the deployment of Indo-Tibetan Border Police along the Indo-China border would remain unchanged.

"ITBP is watchful. We have LoC drawn on Indo-Pak border. We are continuing our negotiations with China on the  disputed border areas and handed over  maps to them," he said.

Shinde also said he would soon visit the US and meet FBI officials to exchange inputs on the investigating techniques.

In order to attract youths to civil defence, his ministry was considering a "better uniform" for home guards, he said.

Earlier, the minister laid the foundation stone of the housing complex for National Disaster Response Force personnel at Maval taluka in Pune district.

Image: Reuters