GUWAHATI: Assam Governor Jagdish Mukhi on Thursday administered the oath of office and secrecy to seven new ministers at the Raj Bhavan here in the first ministry expansion of the BJP-led coalition government which came to power two years back. With the induction of the new faces, the strength of the council of ministers, including the chief minister, is 18.
Minutes after the brief swearing-in function in the morning, voices of dissent by old-timers and their supporters, who were left out of the new cabinet, rocked the party. Three-time BJP legislator Prasanta Phukan from Dibrugarh stepped down from two key posts-chairman of BJP's strategic committee for the upcoming panchayat election and the chairman of the governing body of Assam Medical College at Dibrugarh. Soon after, one of the two Muslim legislators of the party, Aminul Haque Laskar from Sonai constituency, too stepped down as a member of the Haj Committee. Supporters of the party's Morigaon legislator Rama Kanta Dewri, also staged protests by setting tyres on fire in the town and called for a 12-hour bandh on Friday.
Phukan, in his letter to party's state president Ranjit Dass, stated he was stepping down as chairman of the strategy committee for panchayat election on personnel ground. But his reaction before the media reflected his unhappiness at missing the bus. "I don't blame anyone...I have accepted the fact that the party feels I am not qualified enough to take up the responsibility of a minister. Considering the crucial panchayat election is not far away, I have stepped down from the strategy committee because I think I am not qualified to hold such posts and also from that of the Assam Medical College governing body," Phukan said.
Finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma sought to play down the immediate backlash from some of the legislators, who did not find a place in the ministry. "The grievances are natural. Many senior leaders of BJP could not be accommodated because the chief minister, while selecting the new ministers, had to take into consideration several factors like experience, young blood and different regions. I am sure the initial anger will die down soon," Sarma said.
Sonowal managed to keep his allies Asom Gana Parishad and Bodo People's Front happy by giving them one berth each though they had asked for two each. With this expansion, the overall strength of the council of ministers of the BJP-led state government rose to 18.
Of the seven ministers, four-Siddhartha Bhattacharya of BJP, Phanibhusan Chowdhury of AGP, Sum Ronghang of BJP and Chandan Brahma of BPF-were appointed as cabinet ministers.
The remaining three members -Bhabesh Kalita (BJP), Pijush Hazarika (BJP) and Topon Kumar Gogoi (BJP)-were appointed as ministers of state with independent charge.
BJP's own representation, including Sonowal, in the ministry now stands at 14. The two allies now have a strength of three members each. Sonowal has kept one berth in his cabinet vacant as of now.
The expansion of the ministry was in the offing for the last 10 months but Sonowal was waiting for Shah's approval, which came on Saturday last.
