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A Correspondent in New Delhi
External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh has been given additional charge of the defence ministry, a presidential spokesman said in New Delhi on Sunday.
President K R Narayanan gave his assent to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s proposal in the morning.
“This arrangement will last till a new person is appointed to the post,” said a senior BJP politician.
Samata Party politician George Fernandes had resigned as defence minister on Friday evening in the wake of tehelka.com's revelation of corruption in defence deals.
The National Democratic Alliance has, however, claimed that if the inquiry that the prime minister has promised to institute gives Fernandes a clean chit, he will be back in the saddle.
Ever since Fernandes quit the Cabinet, there has been speculation in Delhi about his successor. Besides Singh, the name of Urban Development Minister Jagmohan too had been mentioned. Some BJP politicians felt that Jagmohan's clean image would help the government at this critical juncture.
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