14 April,2011 06:49 AM IST | | Sanjeev Devasia
The Congress Party in Maharashtra wants to hold classes for the ministers of state, in order to ensure that the ministers match up to the NCP cabinet ministers.
From the time that the Congress entered into an alliance with the NCP to form a government, internal friction between the two parties has been a reality.
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The NCP has garnered advantage by retaining a number of weighty portfolios.
Anxious that the NCP is gaining leverage, the state Congress unit has decided to hold classes for the ministers of state, in order to give them a better understanding of their respective job profiles.
"We want to train them on-the-job, equipping them with handy tips on how to monitor the functioning of the ministries.
We will also train the senior ministers of the cabinet.
The ministers will thereafter be able to actively participate in the running of the ministry, learning to allocate work to others," said a senior office bearer of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee.
The drive to train the ministers of state was initiated after Mohan Prakash took over as the AICC secretary in-charge of Maharashtra.
It was one of the measures undertaken to strengthen the party. Recently, Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister
Ajit Pawar came under fire from from Congressmen, for not allocating enough money for the ministries held by them.
Stately affair
The Congress party presently has five ministers of state:
>> Rajendra Mulak: Finance, Energy, Planning, Water Resources, Parliamentary
Affairs, and State Excise
>> DP Sawant: Medical Education, Higher and Technical Education, Special Assistance, and Non-Conventional Energy.
>> Rajendra Gavit: Tribal Development, Labour, Command Area Development and
Horticulture
>> Satej Patil: Minister Home (Urban), Home (Rural), Rural Development and Food and Drugs Administration
>> Ranjit Kamble: Water Supply and Sanitation, Food and Civil Supplies, Consumer Protection, Tourism and Public Works.
