Laloo realises small is beatiful

PATNA, OCTOBER 1: Guess where the message of downsizing is coming from? The Rashtriya Janata Dal chief, Laloo Prasad Yadav, has decided to...

PATNA, OCTOBER 1: Guess where the message of downsizing is coming from? The Rashtriya Janata Dal chief, Laloo Prasad Yadav, has decided to reduce the size of the state government by at least 15 ministers.

With the state of Jharkhand coming into existence on November 15, the strength of the cabinet will be reduced by 22 ministers as the ministers coming from that part will have to put in their papers. Besides, 15 more ministers will be removed from the cabinet — and most of them belong to the RJD.

Laloo, who is getting increasingly conscious about development, thinks he should start from reducing the size of the ministry. The presence of a large number of ministers has made a mess of the state secretariat, he feels.

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Laloo also intends to give a major jolt to the dissidents in the party who have been clamouring for a change in leadership. The dissidents — who claim to enjoy the support of nearly 40 legislators — have been holding regular meetings too. Pruning of the cabinet would certainly add to the rank of dissidents, but Laloo is determined to downsize the cabinet, sources close to him say.

Once Jharkhand is created, at least 12 Congress ministers too will be without a job.

Meanwhile, a move has been initiated to amalgamate ministries. According to Cabinet Secretary Giris Shanker, the 44 departments at the moment will be made into 21 departments. Each parent department had been split into at least four to five departments simply to accommodate the coalition’s ministers.