SP asks for oil, telecom

The Samajwadi Party, set to join the Manmohan Singh government, is mounting pressure for the petroleum and communications portfolios. It has accepted it will not get home, and since party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav (who would have been its candidate for that key portfolio) is not keen to become a minister, it is not pressing the matter.

“Jab netaji (Mulayam) ko mantri banna hi nahi, to ho-me ministry le kar kya kar-en,” a senior SP leader said.

The party is also pushing for Rampur MP Jaya Prada for the women and child development ministry, replacing Ms Renuka Chowdhury. If it gets petroleum, it will nominate general secretary Amar Singh for it.

The communications portfolio is a tricky matter, since it is not held by the Congress. The DMK’s A. Raja is the minister, and the Congress might find it difficult to take it away from its powerful southern ally.

The SP is talking to the Congress leadership about bifurcating food and agriculture, held by NCP chief Sharad Pawar. The idea is to carve out food and civil supplies, and give it to Mr Ram Gopal Yadav.