Why help NCP? Sonia may not OK expansion

Why help NCP? Sonia may not OK expansion
PRAFULLA MARPAKWAR

MUMBAI, MAY 1: Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh is unlikely to get party president Sonia Gandhi's consent for expanding his council of ministers.

Deshmukh had announced, about two weeks ago, that he would expand his ministry in the first week of May to give ``adequate'' representation to all constituents of the alliance when reports of a split in the NCP were rife.

``Maharashtra already has a jumbo ministry, so the high command is unlikely to buy his line,'' said a senior AICC leader.

By and large, the AICC functionary said, the view of the high command was if at all a Cabinet expansion was necessary, it was mainly to bail out the NCParty from the turmoil. ``While we don't know what benefits it'll bring for the Congress, it will certainly help the NCP tackle the rebellion within,'' he said.

What is particularly rankling the high command's mind is the fact that the NCP which now seemed eager to quell the rebellion with an expansion, had created a big scene over the size of the ministry soon after Deshmukh took oath, almost threatening to pull him down. ``The NCP had compelled Deshmukh to sack six ministers. How is it that they don't have problems with the size now?'' asked the leader.

Then Deshmukh had sacked Satish Chaturvedi, Rajendra Shingane, Madhu Chavan, Bandu Sawarbandhe, Harshavardhan Patil and Rajesh Tope. Barring Madhu Chavan, who was subsequently appointed Chairman of Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority, none of the others has been accommodated on official committees or corporations.