Raman gets ready to prune ministry

Faced with simmering discontent in the Cabinet and the party, Raman yesterday cancelled all his appointments and rushed to Delhi to consult the central leadership. He was expected to stay on for the party’s core group meeting today.

Sources close to him said Raman Singh was summoned to Delhi. By then, senior party leaders from the state had already reached the capital for lobbying. The Chief Minister was out of the state for 22 days after undergoing surgery for spondylitis and had returned Raipir late last month. Though he said that he will not face any problem in pruning the Cabinet, striking a caste balance in the Cabinet — with eight tribal and four OBC members — will not be an easy task.

In LS polls, the BJP had done well in the tribal areas. By dropping tribals from the state Cabinet, Raman Singh is bound to invite a lot of criticism. Already, the tribals have become impatient as they have not been given cows as promised by the BJP manifesto.

The OBC group, on the other hand, has also started regrouping. Ramesh Bais, former Union minister and a Kurmi leader, has been trying to become a rallying force for the OBCs. The party is equally split over renominating Judeo because of the CBI cases against him. He is facing a tough contest from Lakhi Ram Aggarwal, a former state unit chief. But already furious over being denied a Lok Sabha ticket, Judeo is not likely to find himself at the loser’s end.