Ministers clueless about millennium Katchal cruise

NEW DELHI, DEC 15: Most of the Union Ministers in the Vajpayee government have denied that they had any plans to take a free trip to Katchal and a cabin seat in the most sought-after ship to watch the millennium sunrise.

Home Minister L K Advani, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pramod Mahajan and Information and Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitley have said that there was no a plan to go to Katchal or board the ship on December 31. The Tourism Ministry may be planning something for the new millennium. But the ministers say they have no knowledge of it.

Arun Jaitley is particularly peeved as he had bought tickets to go to Port Blair for his family members with his own money. Jaitley intends to stay there for three days after attending the national executive of the BJP in Chennai beginning December 27.