UP crisis: talks likely today

LUCKNOW, Nov 23 (PTI) — Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Ram Prakash Gupta, facing mounting pressure from key constituents over alleged "disparity" in portfolio allocation, is likely to hold discussions with them tomorrow even as one of the allies said its representatives might resign from the ministry if justice was not meted out to them.

Mr Gupta was likely to hold talks with the allies, peeved at getting a raw deal in portfolio distribution, tomorrow to resolve the crisis, BJP sources said here today.

The Chief Minister had said he would hold talks with the allies after state BJP chief Rajnath Singh, who was inducted into the Atal Behari Vajpayee Ministry yesterday, arrives here tomorrow.

The Loktantrik Congress Party (LCP) and JBSP, constituents of the BJP-led ministry, when contacted said they were not aware of any such meeting.

LCP leader Amarmani Tripathi and JBSP leader Jai Narain Tewari told PTI that they had not been informed of any such meeting.

Mr Tewari stuck to his demand for better portfolios for his party’s representatives in the ministry and said they might think of resigning if justice was not meted out to them.

He, however, ruled out withdrawal of support to the Gupta ministry.

Mr Tripathi hoped "corrective measures" would be taken by the Chief Minister soon to resolve the crisis, adding the presence of Mr Rajnath Singh would be helpful in this regard.

The Chief Minister yesterday said there was no danger to his government over the issue of distribution of portfolios and added he was ready to make minor changes to satisfy the allies.

Mr Tewari told UNI that the party would not tolerate any more the raw deal given to his ministers and threatened to pull out his ministers if their portfolios were not changed by November 26.

Blaming the Chief Minister and senior BJP leaders for not taking an initiative in resolving the issue, he said all his 11 ministers would continue to boycott the Cabinet meetings and would not assume charge of their respective departments till the matter was finally settled.

Mr Tewari, however, said his party would continue to support the BJP-led government in the state in the interest of stability.