NEW DELHI: Banarasi Dass Gupta who was sworn in as head of the seven members Haryana Ministry Wednesday said he was not a stop gap chief minister.
Talking to newsmen here, soon after he took over from Chautala, who had been asked to step down by the ruling Janata Dal high command following poll related violence in Meham, Gupta said, “I do not feel that lam a stop gap chief minister.
“I was unanimously elected as leader of the Haryana Janta Dal legislature party Wednesday morning. I will step down only if the high command asked me to do so,” he said, while reply to a question as to whether he would continue as chief minister if Chautala was elected from Darba Kalan assembly constituency.
While, Hukam Singh was swom in as the deputy chief minister, other ministers, all of cabinet rank, who took the oath, was Sampat Singh, Jagannath, Om Prakash Bhardwaj, Subhash Katyal and Dhirpal Singh. They were all ministers in the outgoing Chautala ministry.
The oath of office and secrecy was administered by the Haryana Governor, Dhanik Lal Mandal, who specially flew into the capital for the function.
Article extracted from this publication >> June 1, 1990
