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Bharatiya Janata Party president Jana Krishnamurthy has been offered a Cabinet berth as Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee plans to expand and reshuffle his Council of Ministers on July one, which is expected to take place on a 'fairly large scale'.
Amid reports that he was a 'stumbling block' in the prime minister's plans, Krishnamurthy on Thursday said he has received an invitation to join the government, but appeared to be reluctant about the offer.
"My personal feeling is there is no necessity for me to join the Cabinet as there are enough talented persons in it," he said, but made it clear that he would quit as party president 'in two minutes' if he is asked to.
Krishnamurthy is expected to give his decision to prime minister before Vajpayee undertakes another round of consultation with his top party colleagues on Saturday on his return from Lucknow.
Rural Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu, widely tipped to take over as BJP president in case Krishnamurthy is moved out, told reporters that he was comfortable with the responsibility in the government, but as a disciplined soldier of the party he would undertake any responsibility given to him by the leadership -- Vajpayee or Krishnamurthy.
Meanwhile there are reports about the possibility of elevation of Home Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani as deputy prime minister, a move said to have been mooted by Defence Minister and NDA convenor George Fernandes.
Asked about this, Fernandes, who was in Ahmedabad said, "It is the prerogative of the prime minister."
Earlier, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pramod Mahajan announced that the Cabinet reshuffle would take place on Monday. The announcement came after a second round of discussion the prime minister had with Advani, External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh and Mahajan in New Delhi.
As speculation continued on the continuance of Yashwant Sinha in the finance portfolio, indications were that former Gujarat chief minister Keshubhai Patel may be among the new entrants in the central ministry.
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