9 May 2002

FAROOQ ABDULLAH AS NEW FOREIGN MINISTER?

From Jal Khambata

NEW DELHI: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah may shift to the Centre as the country's new External Affairs Minister in place of Jaswant Singh tipped to replace Yashwant Sinha as the new Finance Minister.

Speculation is rife that the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) has approached Dr Farooq Abdullah to join the Vajpayee Ministry so as to relieve his son Omar Abdullah, Minister of State for External Affairs, to take the reins of the state in his place. Omar is to take over as the chief of the National Conference later this month.

Dr Farooq Abdullah was aiming at the posts of either President or Vice-President of India but he has been told that he would be welcome to join the Ministry. His reaction to the BJP's offer is not known.

In any case, Dr Farooq Abdullah has one full month to decide as the Cabinet reshuffle is billed to take place only in June after the Prime Minister returns from his 5-day foreign tour of Turkey and Kazakistan on June 4.

President K R Narayanan has already proceeded on holiday to Kottakal in Kerala for his kidney treatment in the famous Ayurvedic Vedhshala there and he will be back in Delhi only on May 22, two days after Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had proceeded to Manali holiday resort for a 10-day sojourn there.

Vajpayee will be returning to Delhi from Manali only on May 30 and the next day he will be flying off on a five-day foreign tour and hence the reshuffle of the Cabinet is not expected before the second week of June. END