Mumbai:
Barely a week after the Cabinet reshuffle, the government seems to be facing open dissent from yet another central minister from Maharashtra. Former Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, now Cabinet minister for Science and Technology, hasn't taken charge yet.
NDTV tried speaking to Mr Deshmukh, but there was no reply. His staff also has no clue.
On Monday, his Minister of State (MoS) represented the Ministry at a planning commission meet. On Tuesday, the minister has to be at the diplomatic high table.
"I am sure the Cabinet minister knows his responsibility," said Ashwini Kumar, MoS Science and Technology.
Mr Deshmukh was removed from the politically high profile rural development ministry in last week's reshuffle. Science and Technology is considered low profile.
Officially Mr Deshmukh says he was busy with the cricket elections in Mumbai, but what has raised eyebrows in Congress circles is that he refused to go to the airport to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi when they were in Mumbai after the blasts last week.
Not all ministers are pleased with last week's reshuffle. It was first Gurudas Kamat who refused to accept the job in the council of ministers. Then Veerappa Moily expressed displeasure over being moved out of the Law Ministry; Shrikant Jena is still sulking.
Mr Deshmukh is the fourth Science and Technology minister in 18 months, and the science administration is extremely unhappy. They are borrowing the phrase Mr Deshmukh had used, "No more kho-kho."
NDTV tried speaking to Mr Deshmukh, but there was no reply. His staff also has no clue.
On Monday, his Minister of State (MoS) represented the Ministry at a planning commission meet. On Tuesday, the minister has to be at the diplomatic high table.
"I am sure the Cabinet minister knows his responsibility," said Ashwini Kumar, MoS Science and Technology.
Mr Deshmukh was removed from the politically high profile rural development ministry in last week's reshuffle. Science and Technology is considered low profile.
Officially Mr Deshmukh says he was busy with the cricket elections in Mumbai, but what has raised eyebrows in Congress circles is that he refused to go to the airport to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi when they were in Mumbai after the blasts last week.
Not all ministers are pleased with last week's reshuffle. It was first Gurudas Kamat who refused to accept the job in the council of ministers. Then Veerappa Moily expressed displeasure over being moved out of the Law Ministry; Shrikant Jena is still sulking.
Mr Deshmukh is the fourth Science and Technology minister in 18 months, and the science administration is extremely unhappy. They are borrowing the phrase Mr Deshmukh had used, "No more kho-kho."
Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world
