Search the Internet           Tips

Naidu gets rural development, Sushma I&B

Rediff Political Bureau

Bharatiya Janata Party leaders M Venkaiah Naidu and Sushma Swaraj, who were appointed Cabinet ministers on Saturday evening, have been given the portfolios of rural development and information and broadcasting respectively.

Shiv Sena Minister Suresh Prabhu has been given the power portfolio, which was held by P Rangarajan Kumaramangalam until his death in August.

Prabhu's current brief -- chemical and fertilisers -- now passes onto Sunderlal Patwa, the ailing Cabinet minister. Patwa, who suffered a stroke in August, has reportedly not fully recovered from his illness.

Sena supremo Bal Thackeray had expressed unhappiness several times in recent months about his party's ministers not being given suitable portfolios. Even though Industry Minister Manohar Joshi is senior to Prabhu in the Sena, it was always on the cards that an elevation would benefit the banker-turned-Sainik rather than the former Maharashtra chief minister.

Telugu film star U V Krishnam Raju has been appointed minister of state for external affairs.

Shripad Yesso Naik, the BJP leader from Goa, will be the minister of state for agriculture, Satyabrata Mukherjee, the Bengal BJP leader, will be the MoS for chemicals and fertilisers, while Coimbatore MP P Radhakrishnan will look after youth affairs and sports. Shah Nawaz Hussain has been moved from sports to the human resources ministry.

ALSO SEE
Sushma makes a comeback

Back to top

Tell us what you think of this report