The Hindu Business Line : DMK's demands met; Ministers to take charge

THE United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government has overcome its first crisis by ensuring a peaceful settlement of the portfolio allocation standoff ignited by an unhappy DMK.

With the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, conceding to the DMK's demands for the Shipping Ministry and the Minister of State for Finance, all DMK ministers are set to take charge on Wednesday.

While DMK leader Mr T.R. Baalu has bagged the Shipping Ministry in addition to Road Transport and Highways, Mr S.S. Palanimanickam will be Minister of State (MoS) for Finance.

The TRS leader, Mr K. Chandrashekhar Rao, who was originally allotted the Shipping Ministry, would now remain a Cabinet Minister without portfolio.

Earlier, during the day in a rare gesture, Mr Rao had met the Prime Minister and offered to relinquish the Shipping Ministry so that it could be handed over to a DMK MP.

The DMK had earlier told all its seven ministers not to assume charge of their ministries, stating that the Congress had not honoured its commitment on the portfolios promised to the party during negotiations. These included Shipping and MoS (Finance).

Later, speaking to reporters, the DMK leader and Union Minister, Mr Dayanidhi Maran, said, "All issues have been resolved. We are very much a part of the Government. Whatever has been committed to us has now been allocated to us."

As part of the minor reshuffle, the RJD leader, Mr Taslimuddin, has been shifted out of Heavy Industries and been made MoS in the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Civil Supplies, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution.

The move was prompted by protests from Mr Santosh Mohan Dev who demanded independent charge as MoS (Heavy Industries).

The Congress Minister of State, Mr E.V.K. Elangovan, has been taken out of Petroleum and Natural Gas and allotted Commerce and Industry.

Later, reacting to the developments, the Finance Minister, Mr P. Chidambaram, said he would have no problem working with Mr Palanimanickam who would be his deputy.

"He is a friend of mine. There will be no problem working with him," Mr Chidambaram said.

Our Chennai Bureau adds: Addressing presspersons here on Tuesday, the DMK president, Mr M. Karunanidhi, said that following the intervention of the Congress (I) President, Ms Sonia Gandhi, the commitment given to the DMK had been honoured.

The Shipping portfolio at the Cabinet level and the Finance-Revenue portfolio at the Minister of State level have been allocated to the DMK nominees.

However, the additional responsibility of personnel that the DMK was demanding under the Home Affairs portfolio was not allocated.

Mr Karunanidhi said, "It is not a major issue."

The DMK nominees, who were sworn in on Saturday along with the Prime Minister and other members of the Cabinet, did not take charge following the tiff over allocation of portfolios.

Mr Karunanidhi had said that some of the key responsibilities that were to be given to the DMK nominees following an agreement between him and the Congress leader Mr Janardhan Reddy had not been allocated to them.