Purno, Rio miss the bus
From CK Nayak
New Delhi: In an apparent setback to the Northeast, neither Purno Sangma nor Neiphiu Rio, two of the senior politicians from the region, was included in the new Union council of ministers.
Only two ministers of state have been included in the ministry from the region, Sarbananda Sonowal and Kiren Rijiju, with Sonowal having independent charge.
It was learnt that Rio was offered the berth of a minister of state with independent charge of the DoNER portfolio. Rio, however, refused to accept this and was firm on getting a cabinet rank. But some senior BJP leader and key pre-poll ally of BJP Shiv Sena did not agree to. The BJP-led NDA has improved its performance in the northeast this time and it was expected that the region would get more representation in the Union ministry. But, it would now have to wait till the first expansion of the council of ministers before the Lok Sabha session next month. “We will soon expand the cabinet and give representations to different areas and sections soon,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi told the media after the swearing in ceremony.
As the ministry-making exercise shows, the Prime Minister has given preference to his party BJP. Former AGP President Sarbandanda Sonowal later became the State BJP president in Assam. Rijiju, who was elected from Arunachal Pradesh with a BJP ticket, has been a national secretary of BJP.
On the other hand, Purno’s NPP had formed an alliance with the BJP-led NDA. Sources said the veteran who had been a Union minister and a Lok Sabha speaker would get a berth in the cabinet in next reshuffle.
Rio, who won the LS polls with a Naga Peoples Front ticket had even resigned from the post of chief minister of Nagaland since he was almost certain to get a cabinet berth in the new government. NPF is a part of North East Regional Parties Forum which has expressed support to NDA. Interestingly, Odisha governor S C Jamir, Rio’s arch rival, was present in the swearing-in ceremony.
In the congress led UPA ministry there were five ministers of state at different times. Two of them were with independent charge- B K Handique and Pawan Singh Ghotwar. The other three were Vincent H Pala, Agatha Sangma and Ranee Narah. Veteran P R Kyndiah was the last cabinet minister in the 10- year-long UPA rule but was not given a ticket in the second term.
The Meghalaya Governor KK Paul attended the swearing-in ceremony but Chief Minister Mukul Sangma skipped it though he was in Delhi.
