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Journalism of Courage
Uttaranchal Chief Minister N.D. Tiwari’s task of downsizing his Cabinet got tougher today with a rebel minister sticking to his post even as rest of the Cabinet stepped down.
Thirteen Cabinet ministers submitted their resignations to the Chief Minister after a meeting today. Uttaranchal Minister of State for Industrial Development Kishore Upadhaya, however, did not resign and left for Delhi instead. The Uttaranchal Cabinet had 17 ministers and as per the new law, the maximum strength should not exceed 12.
Upadhaya, who has a running feud with the Chief Minister, said he was not asked to participate in today’s meeting, nor asked to resign.
The Uttaranchal Congress has been divided between two rival groups, led by Tiwari and Uttaranchal Congress chief Harish Rawat. The earlier Uttaranchal ministry had members from both groups.
The Chief Minister today tried to deflect the pressure, saying the decision about the new council of ministers would be taken by the Congress high command. The new council of ministers will be in place before July 5, he added.
