'All portfolios are important'

Dismissing the talk of being given “light portfolio”, Fertilizer and Chemicals Minister Ananth Kumar on Wednesday said that his assignment was very important and lot of work can be done for farmers and the common man of the country.

Kumar, who took charge of the ministry, told reporters that “this portfolio was earlier held by four prime ministers—Morarji Desai, Rajiv Gandhi, P V Narasimha Rao and Atal Bihari Vajpayee. This itself indicates how this ministry is important for the government”.

“In the Cabinet, all are equal and there is no big and small. What ever the work allocated by the prime minister, we have to perform with dedication. Our aim is to fulfil the dreams of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party assurances to people during elections”, he added.

Karnataka BJP leaders had  earlier said that senior party leader Kumar got “light portfolio” like fertilizer while his colleague, former chief minister D V Sadananda Gowda got plum Railway Ministry in the Union Cabinet.

Party insiders say that Kumar was given low key ministry by the prime minister due to his closeness to BJP supremo L K Advani.

Sixth time MP from Bangalore South, Kumar had earlier served as minister of civil aviation and urban development in the previous NDA government under Atal Bihari Vajpayee.