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Anurag Thakur jibe at HP CM over Central Varsity deepens rift among rivals in BJP
Minister blames the state government for delay in transfer of land for the university that he identified as his dream project as CM Thakur says he’s not aware of the technicalities of the matter
At a time when the party is gearing up for panchayati raj elections, Union minister of state for finance and corporate affairs Anurag Thakur’s jibe at chief minister Jai Ram Thakur at a public function in Kangra over delay in transfer of land to the Central University of Himachal Pradesh (CUHP) appears to have widened the rift between rival factions within the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
Anurag Thakur at the function blamed the state government for delay in transfer of land for the university that he identified as his “dream project.” Hitting out at the bureaucrats for dragging their feet in completing the project allocated to the state 11 years ago during former CM Prem Kumar Dhumal’s tenure, he also suggested that the CM hold them accountable for it.
The CM, however, felt the issue should not have been raised by Anurag Thakur on a public platform. Underplaying the Union minister’s angry outburst, he said he was unaware of the technical realities of the matter related to the university, which is split into two campuses – Dhauladhar in Dharamshala and Beas, which has yet to come up in Dehra.
Kangra DC asked to transfer land
Even as additional chief secretary RD Dhiman on Wednesday ordered the Kangra deputy commissioner to transfer the land to the university, Hoshiar Singh, Dehra independent legislator, said matters related to the institute were the concern of the Central government.
A first time legislator and an associate member of BJP, Hoshiar Singh trained his guns on Anurag Thakur, urging him to see to it that the available funds of ₹500 crore for the university were released immediately for Dehra.
Singh also questioned why the foundation laying of a part of the campus at Dehra was done just ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
Meanwhile, the Congress launched a fresh offensive against the ruling BJP with state party chief Kuldeep Rathare saying the internal feuding signified the power struggle within the party.
How it started
Former prime minister Manmohan Singh announced the decision to set up CUHP on August 15, 2007, and it became functional in 2010 with a temporary campus at Shahpur.
In the same year the then BJP-led state government proposed two campuses at Dehra and Dharamshala.
In 2013, the Congress led state government proposed a unified campus and identified land for it at Indrunag Hill and then again in 2016 it identified 600 acres of land for another campus at Jadrangal, both in Dharamsala.
Former HRD minister Prakash Javadekar then laid the foundation stone of the CUHP at Dehra and Dharamshala ahead of the general elections.
