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Cabinet reshuffle expected on Saturday

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee is likely to announce a reshuffle of his cabinet on Saturday at 1700 hours with the intention of inducting three new faces.

Vacancies in the Union Cabinet exist following the resignations of Ram Jethmalani, Uma Bharati and Bangaru Laxman who is now the Bharatiya Janata Party chief. On Friday, another minister had resigned from the Union Council of Ministers.

The names doing the rounds are that of Sushma Swaraj, BJP spokesman M Venkaiah Naidu, BJP Member of Parliament from South Delhi Vijay Kumar Malhotra, P Radhakrishnan and Uma Bharati.

"Sushma Swaraj had been upbraided by the party leadership for criticising the government during the recent Nagpur session of the national executive of the BJP," pointed out a party vice-president. "Nevertheless, she has a chance of finding a berth," he added.

According to him, Swaraj eventually expressed regret at having offended the leadership by criticising the government's handling of the Kashmir problem and its economic policies. The party leadership thinks she is sincere in her remorse, he explained.

Another name doing the rounds is M Venkaiah Naidu who has already been retained in his job as party general secretary by new BJP chief Bangaru Laxman. While Naidu is not unhappy in being retained in his 'old' job, party insiders say that he will feel happier if accommodated in the Cabinet.

Party MP from South Delhi Vijay Kumar Malhotra's ministerial prospects are also said to be 'bright', according to BJP sources. They pointed out that Malhotra is even senior to Vajpayee. He is understood to have expressed his displeasure at being overlooked for a berth in the Cabinet and the sources said that Vajpayee might give him the nod this time.

Yet another name doing the rounds is that of P Radhakrishnan. A prominent National Democratic Alliance leader, his case is being pushed by leaders from the south.

BJP sources said the case of Uma Bharati was 'not too good' because the leadership was 'fed up of her tantrums'. They said Bharati resorts to tantrums at the slightest provocation and senior BJP leaders were determined this time to 'let her remain in oblivion'.

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