Mamata – Karuna remain hard nuts for Manmohan to finalise cabinet list

Prime Minister Manmohan SinghManmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Sonia GandhiSonia Gandhi finding it difficult to finalise the list of new cabinet ministers, to be sworn in on Thursday evening along with the Prime Minister with the hardened stands taken by its crucial allies Mamata Benerjee of Trinamool Congress and Karunanidhi of DMK.

As both are demanding lion share in the cabinet and also crucial portfolios, the Congress seems to be inconvenient and making hectic attempts to convince them. Both of them demanding Railway ministry besides some other key ministries.

Originally, Congress is ready to offer three cabinet berths and three ministers of state berths to Trunamul Congress and two cabinet berths, plus three ministers of state posts to DMK. DMK first insisted for Lok Sabha speaker post. When Congress made it clear that it want to retain this position, it is now pleading for Deputy Speaker post, which is going to opposition by convention since some time.

The Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday deferred a meeting with President Pratibha PatilPratibha Patil as pulls and pressures continued on government formation with Trinamool Congress and DMK, two major pre-poll constituents of the UPA, demanding plum portfolios and more ministries.

With Singh set to be sworn in on Friday evening for the second term, Congress negotiators led by senior leader Pranab MukherjeePranab Mukherjee are grappling with the issue. A meeting slated this morning between Singh and the President on government formation was deferred apparently because the list of the Council of Ministers was yet to be finalised.

Indications are that Mukherjee is likely to get Finance portfolio while P Chidambaram and A K Antony are expected to retain Home and Defence respectively. Among the probable names doing rounds for some of the key ministries are Kapil SibalKapil Sibal for Human Resource Development replacing Arjun SinghArjun Singh, who is likely to be accommodated in a gubernatorial post.

Although the DMK is understood to have asked for eight ministerial berths, it may not pare down its demand for cabinet-level appointments to less than three. But Congress sources said the party could at best part with three cabinet positions and three slots for ministers of state.

Deadlock prevailed between Congress and DMK on the issue of giving crucial ministries to two ministers in the last Lok Sabha held by T R Balu and A Raja. Prime Minister seems to be declined to accommodate them in the cabinet, in view of certain charges against them.

External Affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee, accompanied by AICC general secretary Ghulam Nabi AzadGhulam Nabi Azad and Congress president Sonia Gandhi's political secretary Ahmed Patel met Karunanidhi at Tamil Nadu Bhavan in Delhi for nearly 45 minutes. But no unanimity was arrived in the meeting.

The DMK's Dayanidhi Maran, who has recently patched up with Karunanidhi, is reportedly eyeing the telecom portfolio which was held by Raja. Karunanidhi insisting for Railway to his son M K Azhagiri and health ministry to his daughter Kanimozhi.


The DMK had three cabinet ministers when the UPA formed its government in 2004, with Baalu, Maran and Raja holding key ministries. These three heavyweights have been re-elected and the party is finding it difficult to downgrade any of them to the status of minister of state even with independent charge. (EOM)