Ranchi: Portfolios would be distributed
among the ministers of the Shibu Soren cabinet at the
earliest, sources in the ruling coalition said today even as
opposition Congress apprehended that the delay would affect
the execution of the welfare schemes meant for this fiscal.
''There is no bickering and the task of portfolio
distribution will be completed at the earliest,'' sources in
the JMM-NDA-AJSU coalition said here.
Leader of the Opposition Rajendra Prasad Singh said ''It
would be unfortunate if the chief minister does not distribute
portfolios by tonight as only 79 days remain before this
fiscal ends.''
''First the Chief Minister said he would expand his
ministry on January 8, but delayed it by a day after some
internal discontent. And now the distribution of portfolios is
being delayed. It is not good for the state," he said.
Any more delay, he said, might lead to lapse of central
funds. ''How can bureaucrats work if the ministers concerned
don't get charge of the different departments.''
Singh claimed that JMM MLA Simon Marandi was unhappy
with his non-inclusion in the Soren cabinet.
PCC general secretary Sailesh Sinha said Marandi had met
PCC president Pradeep Kumar Balmuchu yesterday but did not
reveal what transpired during it.
Raghuvar Das of BJP and Sudesh Mahto of AJSU were sworn
in along with Soren as deputy chief ministers on December 30.
The cabinet was expanded on January 9.
PTI
First Published: Monday, January 11, 2010, 21:35