Several sources have been saying that Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar revoked Ramadhar's appointment as Legal Affairs Minister at Wednesday's special cabinet meeting.
However JYOTI's unimpeachable sources confirmed that while the matter was discussed at the cabinet meeting Ramadhar remains minister.
Other inside sources said Ramadhar's ministerial colleagues, including members of his own party, were upset with recent pronouncements from the Congress of the People (COP) political leader.
And they have put pressure on him to make a choice between his ministerial responsibility and the leadership of his party.
They also questioned Ramadhar about whether he has been consulting with his constituents in St Augustine, many of whom have stated openly that they are unhappy with the stand taken by their MP.
JYOTI's sources said Ramadhar was isolated at the meeting. They said some members of the cabinet felt that Persad-Bissessar was being "too soft" in taking a decision on Ramadhar.
The COP leader has found himself in political trouble over his conflicting statements with respect to COP's stand on the Marlene Coudray matter.
COP raised its voice to condemn Coudray after she announced that she had left COP to run as a candidate in the internal election of the United National Congress (UNC). In the election on March 24 the UNC membership elected the San Fernando mayor as one of the party's three deputy political leaders.
Ramadhar publicly demanded that Coudray be fired as mayor and accused the UNC of a breach of the agreement that created the People's Partnership. He even threatened to reconsider COP's continued participation in the coalition.
However he changed his position at a COP congress and declared that he and COP would stand firmly behind the partnership. Subsequent to that the leaders of the partnership, including Ramadhar, met at the the Diplomatic Centre on April 26 and agreed that COP would give up its demand for the removal of Coudray and consider other options.
The Prime Minister assured reporters last month on her return from the Summit of the Americas that the matter was closed and referred them to the formal statement issued by the leaders.
Then on Sunday at a meeting of the COP's national congress the party announced that the Coudray matter was still on the table and that the party would not close the matter.
"We will not accept any alternative compensation for the breach of the agreement by the UNC," Ramadhar declared, adding that his party "will not sacrifice principle for position" and it "would not be bought" through any alternative offer".
He also tossed another ingredient in the mix and said that COP would not support legislation for making the move from the Privy Council to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), adding that the matter is too important to be decided without the people's participation. He said COP wants nothing short of a referendum on it.
Ramadhar also insisted that COP would not necessarily support the government on all legislative matters.
Then on Monday Ramadhar changed his tune again and told reporters he never agreed to what was written in the April 12 statement, adding that he never signed it. He said the leaders agreed to close the Coudray matter and suggested that the Prime Minister "bullied" the leaders into accepting closure on the Coudray affair.
However he instantly met open resistance from Anil Roberts, a COP MP who is the Sports Minister. Roberts said Ramadhar was out of line and declared that "not even my father" could tell him how to vote.
COP has six elected members in cabinet and controls the key ministries of Legal Affairs, Finance, Planning and Sports. The UNC has 21 seats, which gives it a clear majority.It also has firm support from the Tobago Organisation of the People (TOP) which holds the two Tobago seats.
Another member of the PP coalition is also making demands and threats. The Movement for Social Justice (MSJ) led by Government Senator David Abdulah has given the leaders until May 24 to agree to a set of 10 demands. Some MSJ members are already saying they want to pull the party out of the partnership before the end of the month.
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