Reshuffle brings Fernandes, Pathak back to Union Cabinet

Our Political Bureau

New Delhi, Oct 15: The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) convenor and Samata Party leader George Fernandes was reinducted into the Union Cabinet on Monday in a limited expansion of the council of ministers effected by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, in which Mr Harin Pathak was also included as a minister of state.
Both Mr Fernandes and Mr Pathak were administered the oath of office and secrecy by President KR Narayanan at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Mr Fernandes has been reallocated the Defence portfolio, which he held before he resigned from the Cabinet following the Tehalka expose on defence deals.

Bharatiya Janata Party member Harin Pathak, who also incidentally had to resign earlier after a chargesheet was filed against him for involvement in a criminal case in his home state, has also been made minister of state for defence.

With Monday’s expansion, sixth since the Vajpayee Government took over in October 1999, the strength of the council of ministers has gone up to 74 with 32 ministers holding Cabinet rank.

Mr Fernandes later assumed charge as defence minister. He drove to his South Block office and took over his new assignment exactly seven months after his exit from the Cabinet.

During the interregnum, the minister for external affairs Mr Jaswant Singh was also functioning as the defence minister. The need for an independent defence minister was being stressed by various quarters following the situation arising out of the September 11 incidents in the US.