... Another keeps 44 portfolios

... Another keeps 44 portfolios
S M A KAZMI

DEHRA DUN, NOV 19: What do you do when you don't really trust your colleagues? Keep most of the work to yourself. So, Uttaranchal Chief Minister Nityanand Swami has 44 portfolios to look after.

They include General Administration, Home, PWD, Higher Education, Food and Civil Supplies, Transport, Justice, Civil Aviation, Urban Development and Women Empowerment.

Swami -- who faced a rebellion from within the party after the announcement of his name as the first Chief Minister of the hill-state -- was again in a dilemma over the distribution of the portfolios. Three of the senior party leaders -- Bhagat Singh Khoshiyari, president of the Uttaranchal unit of the party, Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, a former Uttar Pradesh minister and Narian Ram Dass, another UP minister of state -- had boycotted the first swearing-in ceremony on November 10. They took the oath of office and secrecy the next day following party high command's intervention.

According to party sources, there was tremendous pressure on the Chief Minister from various Ministers to allocate to them portfolios of their choice.

The Chief Minister took more than a week to decide the issue after taking approval from the central party leadership. Finally, Khoshiyari was given Energy, Irrigation and Parliamentary Affairs and Nishank was made the Finance Minister. Narain Ram Dass, another disgruntled Minister, who was annoyed for not being elevated as a cabinet minister, was given independent charge of Horticulture, Small Industries and Social Welfare departments.