Vajpayee plans single-tier team
Atal Behari Vajpayee is likely to go in for a 20-member single-tier Cabinet when he is sworn in Prime Minister on Thursday. The BJP is said to be following the United Front formula of representation according to the number of MPs. As the main party, the BJP will have 11 ministers, including Home and Finance, and nine will come from allied parties.
BJP to begin search for new chief
Having succeeded in securing the presidential go-ahead to form a government at the Centre, the BJP is now confronted with the more formidable task of saving its organisational structure from stagnation. Lending an urgency to the situation is the fact that the party will soon have to elect a new president. The current incumbent Lal Krishna Advani's term as the party chief came to end in November last.
BJP stoops to "conquer" Jaya
As a quid pro quo, the BJP has agreed to AIADMK leader J Jayalalitha's demand that "action" be taken against her political rivals DMK leader M Karunanidhi and former Finance Minister P Chidambaram based on their "indictment" by the Jain Commission. However, the BJP has also told Jayalalitha that it will consider this "action" if the final report "does not dilute" the indictment in the interim report.
RPI to extend tie-up with Congress
Senior Republican Party of India leader and the newly-elected MP, Prakash Ambedkar has said that the Congress-Republican Party of India (RPI) alliance in Maharashtra was valid only for the recently-concluded Lok Sabha elections and would be applicable to next state assembly polls, only if the Congress expressed such desire.
Front may throw Naidu out
The United Front yesterday threatened to throw the Telugu Desam Party out of the coalition if party chief and UF convenor N Chandrababu Naidu persists with its stand of abstaining when the BJP government takes its confidence vote. The UF would be forced to take action against Naidu if he did not alter his stand, Janata Dal president Sharad Yadav said.
Jiang emerges uncontested helmsman
Chinese President Jiang Zemin has secured an emphatic double by getting re-elected to the posts of head of state and chairman of the Central Military Commission while outgoing premier Li Peng was elected chairman of China's Parliament, but with the maximum number of `no' votes. Standing Committee member of the politburo of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) Hu Jintao was elected as Vice-President replacing Rong Yiren.
