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| ‘Berth pangs’ delay UPA cabinet formation | | |
New Delhi, May 21: The Congress was on Thursday night grappling with DMK, which was doing hard negotiations to get plum portfolios, failed to reach an understanding as T R Baalu said the DMK will extend outside support to UPA government.
Coming out of war room negotiation, the DMK negotiator T R Baalu said before media persons that “what Congress is offering to us is not acceptable.”
There was no formula on establishment of government in 2004, says Baalu, adding if there was no formula in the last govt formation why this time.
Baalu announced the breakdown of talks after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called up DMK chief M Karunanidhi who conveyed his rejection of the Congress proposal.
DMK had been demanding seven ministerial berths, including three cabinet, while Congress was ready to concede only six.
Meanwhile, DMK Executive Council has decided to meet in Chennai tomorrow to discuss future course of action.
On a day of conflicting reports, the DMK with 18 MPs, the third largest constituent in the UPA coalition, was said to be demanding three Cabinet portfolios, two Ministers of State with independent charge and two at the Ministers of State level.
However, among the 'big four' portfolios Finance is likely to go to Pranab Mukherjee, while Home and Defence would be retained by P Chidambaram and A K Antony. There is no finality about who will bag External Affairs for which names of Kamal Nath and Kapil Sibal are doing the rounds.
DMK chief Karunanidhi's son M K Azhagiri, his grand nephew Dayanidhi Maran and T R Baalu are among the Cabinet probables from the party while his daughter Kanimozhi is among the likely candidates for the MOS slot.
Reports said the Congress was keen to give two Cabinet berths, four MOS slots including two with independent charge. Mediators were trying to work out the final modalities of an agreement.
Immediately after Balu’s statement, Congress spokesperson Janardan Dwivedi told media persons that DMK's demand for status quo and a little more than that in portfolios not acceptable. Dwivedi said the DMK is an important ally, and the negotiations would continue.
A scheduled meeting of the Prime Minister with President Pratibha Patil in the morning, which was later put off, fuelled speculation that there could be a deadlock over ministry formation. But sources said that the meeting had nothing to do with government formation.
Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, who may not not join the UPA government, held third round of talks with Congress leaders but dismissed suggestions that she was bargaining hard for key ministries.
"There is no talk of bargaining (for ministerial posts). .... We have not discussed this. What they (Congress) want, they will do. Even if they don't give us anything, we don't mind," Banerjee told reporters.
However, sources said the party is keen on Railways, Coal and Mines and Steel portfolios which, it feels, are critical to West Bengal economy. It was also eyeing the portfolios of Health and Home Affairs at the Minister of State level.
Both Dinesh Trivedi and Mukul Roy are the front-runners for Cabinet positions from the Trinamool Congress. The party is understood to be expecting at least two berths in Union Cabinet and three Ministers of State.
While the Congress had suggested that the ministry formation could be done in two phases, the allies insisted that the exercise be completed in one go.
Among the probable names doing rounds for some of the key ministries are Kapil Sibal for Human Resource Development replacing Arjun Singh, who is likely to be accommodated in a gubernatorial post.
Salman Khurshid is likely to get Minority Affairs ministry, held by A R Antulay, who was defeated in the elections.
DMK wants ministries to be given for debutant MPs M K Azhagiri and Kanimozhi, children of Karunanidhi, Dayanidhi Maran and A Raja and also for new entrants T K Elangovan, Helen Davidson and Jagatrakshakan, a third-term MP.
The probable names in Trinamool Congress include Dinesh Trivedi, Sudip Bandhopadhyay, Sultan Ahmed and Mukul Roy.
The names of Sushilkumar Shinde and V Kishore Chandra Deo are doing the rounds for the post of the Speaker.
Names of some new entrants in the Lok Sabha like Mallikarjun Kharge (Karnataka) and Manicka Tagore (Tamil Nadu) are also doing the rounds for induction in the ministry.
Other Congress probables include those comprising the 'young brigade' of Milind Deora, Sachin Pilot, Naveen Jindal, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Jitin Prasada.
UPA sources said the formula being mentioned for allocation would be one Cabinet and one MoS for seven MPs.
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