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Rajasthan minister quits

Rajasthan's Minister of State for Industries Nasru Khan resigned from the state council of ministers today.

Chief Minister Bhairon Singh Shekhawat's secretariat has expressed surprise at Khan's resignation.

In his letter, Khan did not divulge the reasons for his resignation, but it is believed that he had been feeling ignored for some time.

He is the second minister to part ways from the Shekhawat ministry within a fortnight. Earlier, minister of state for agriculture Gyan Singh Chaudhary resigned on the chief minister's directive on May 31.

Nearly half a dozen ministers have resigned from the ministry since January 1997.

Those who have resigned from the ministry include ministers of state Shashi Dutta, Punja Lal and Gyan Singh Chaudhary and Nasru Khan and cabinet ministers Raghuveer Singh Kaushal and Devi Singh Bhati.

Khan won the 1993 state assembly election from the Laxmangarh assembly segment of Alwar district on a Janata Dal ticket.

However, shortly after the assembly election, he along with two fellow Janata Dal legislators -- Punja Lal and Brijraj Singh -- formed the Bharatiya Janata Dal to lend support to the Shekhawat government which in a minority at that time.

Later the BJD merged with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

Khan said he felt suffocated in the ministry and was feeling relaxed after submitting his resignation.

However, he clarified that he would not quit the BJP and would continue to abide by its rules and directives.

UNI

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