Delay in Rajasthan Cabinet formation leaves BJP leaders baffled

The State government has reportedly informed Raj Bhavan that the oath taking ceremony may take place at short notice and the Governor’s office has made arrangements.

The inordinate delay in forming a Cabinet in Rajasthan after the BJP was elected to power earlier this month has left party leaders here baffled. As of Thursday there was no indication about a likely date for a swearing in. Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma who has visited New Delhi twice to meet senior leaders has not thrown any light on the status of the Cabinet either.

The delay has especially perturbed young BJP MLAs, many of whom were expecting that they might get an opportunity to serve as Ministers in the same manner as the first-time Sanganer MLA Mr. Sharma, who was picked for the Chief Minister’s post. However, legislators are not willing to openly stake their claims.

The State government has reportedly informed Raj Bhavan that the oath taking ceremony may take place at short notice and the Governor’s office has made arrangements. Mr. Sharma and his two deputies, Diya Kumari and Prem Chand Bairwa, took the oath of office in front of Albert Hall in the city on December 15.

Asked about the Cabinet and allocation of portfolios to the two Deputy CMs, BJP State president C.P. Joshi said at a press conference here on Thursday that it would be done “very soon”. Mr. Joshi said the Chief Minister had already started taking major decisions to fulfil the ruling party’s promises, indicating that the BJP might not be in a hurry to appoint the Ministers.

Mr. Joshi said the decision to provide LPG cylinders at Rs.450 to Ujjwala Yojana beneficiaries, formation of a Special Investigation Team to probe recruitment exam paper leaks, appointment of the Anti-Gangster Task Force and consideration of a new model for executing the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project depicted the BJP government’s vision for people’s welfare.

The BJP State chief lambasted the Congress for criticising the State government “for no reason”. “They have lost power in Rajasthan for their inability to govern. They opposed decisions taken in national interest, such as abrogation of Article 370 and construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, without understanding people’s sentiments,” he said.

Meanwhile, the CM Mr. Sharma said on Thursday that the Chief Secretary and Director-General of Police would monitor the conduct of government recruitment exams in future to prevent paper leaks, cheating and use of unfair means. Mr. Sharma said at a high-level meeting that stringent action would be taken to protect the future of youth appearing in competitive exams for jobs.