J'khand Guv on 10 day tour, Koda gets a breather

Ranchi, Sep 26 (UNI) The ten-day-old Madhu Koda government in Jharkhand, under pressure to fill up remaining four slots in the cabinet, breathed a sigh of relief after Governor Syed Sibtey Razi today went on a ten-day tour to New Delhi and Port Balir.

Mr Razi is scheduled to attend the 19th Akhil Bharatiya Rajbhasa Sammelan in Port Blair on October two.

Prior to Mr Razi's departure, Mr Koda briefed him regarding the flood-afftected areas in Deoghar after making an aerial survey yesterday.

Talking to newsmen, the Chief Minister claimed that all the remaining slots in the stipulated 12 member council of ministers would be filled up soon and ruled out any fissure in the UPA reportedly triggered by the disgruntled MLAs.

Many political observers were taken aback by the governor's sudden tour, who analysed it as a 'tactics' to allow some more time to the UPA leaders to sort out their problems.

The Government, which proved majority on September 20, sworn-in on September 18 with only four ministers.

The Cabinet's first expansion was done on September 24 in which four more ministers were inducted leaving another four slots to be filled up.

Mr Koda has been under pressure from the oppostion NDA, that was urging the Governor to ensure the induction of all 12 ministers at one go.

The BJP also reminded the Governor regarding the constitutional provision of 12 ministers in th Arjun Munda-led NDA government last year after which immediately the 11-member Munda Cabinet had included one more following the Gubernatorial instruction.

With the present UPA dispensation under fire from critics for delaying expansion and distribution of portfolios the Governor's role had assumed much importance, the observers said.

However, there was no official confirmation of Mr Razi's seven-day stay in Delhi before his engagement in Port Blair.

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