Agence France Presse

New Delhi, May 25:

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has promised to sort out a mistake involving the appointment of two ministers to the same government post, one of the two candidates said today. Santosh Mohan Dev yesterday refused to accept the heavy industries and public enterprises portfolio after he found out that cabinet colleague Taslimuddin, who uses one name, had too been offered the post.

But today he was occupying the ministerial chair. "I am not a child and I did not barge into the ministry," Dev said. "I spoke to the prime minister and Congress party president Sonia Gandhi this morning and they asked me to take charge and said the mistake will be rectified," he told reporters. Dev said he had no idea if Taslimuddin would also demand the ministry. "That you have to ask him," said Dev, who in a previous Congress government held the steel and mines portfolio.