Prime Minister axes Sai Prathap

Rajampet MP A Sai Prathap was one of the seven Union Ministers who were dropped in the Cabinet reshuffle on Tuesday while Minister for Environment and Forest Jairam Ramesh shifted from his portfolio by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Mr Sai Prathap was serving as the Union Minister of State for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, before he submitted his resignation from the Union Cabinet. Besides Mr Sai Prathap, Dayanidhi Maran (Minister for Textiles), Murli Deora (Minister of Corporate Affairs), BK Handique (Minister of Development of North Eastern Region), MS Gill (Minister of Statistics and Programme Implementation), Kanti Lal Bhuria (Minister of Tribal Affairs) and Arun S Yadav (Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Processing Industries) were also sacked from the Union Cabinet.

On the recommendation of the Prime Minister, President Pratibha Patil has accepted their resignations. Mr Dayanidhi Maran had submitted his resignation after he was named in the 2G Spectrum allocation scam while Mr Murli Deora has resigned citing old age.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has left the top four posts, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Home Minister P Chidambaram, Defence Minister AK Antony and External Affairs Minister SM Krishna unchanged but has shifted Law Minister Veerappa Moily to the Corporate Affairs Ministry, earlier held by Mr Murli Deora. Mr Salman Khursheed has been given charge of the Law Ministry.

One of the more significant changes in the Union Cabinet reshuffle has been the shifting of Mr Jairam Ramesh from the Ministry of Environment and Forests. Ms Jayanti Natarajan has been brought in, in his place. Mr Ramesh has been widely seen as one of the best Union Ministers in charge of the Ministry and has opposed deforestation tooth and nail.

As expected, the Railways portfolio has gone to Trinamool Congress leader Dinesh Trivedi, in place of Mamata Banerjee who had resigned on becoming the Chief Minister of West Bengal.
Chief Minister. The reshuffle also saw the elevation of Beni Prasad Verma from a Minister of State to a Cabinet Minister and he has been given the Steel portfolio. The new Ministers will be sworn in by Tuesday evening.