Himachal chief secretary’s Holi party bill waste of govt money: BJP

Prabodh Saxena, who was due for superannuation on March 31, was given a six-month extension. His term was extended while the retirement party was on.

The BJP said the alleged ₹1.22 lakh bill for a Holi party hosted by Himachal Pradesh chief secretary Prabodh Saxena and sent to the state’s general administration department (GAD) for payment is a violation of “ethical conduct and administrative decorum”.

Himachal Pradesh chief secretary Prabodh Saxena has stirred up a controversy by raising a bill of ₹1.22 lakh with the general administration department for payment for a Holi party he hosted. (HT file photo)

A controversy erupted when a copy of the bill issued by Hotel Holiday Home of Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation surfaced online, with the opposition BJP terming it a “wastage of government money”.

On March 14, lunch and snacks were arranged for 75 guests, which included IAS, IPS and IFS officers and their families, as part of Saxena’s retirement party. The bill included expenses incurred on lunch for 22 drivers and other staff, the copy of the bill posted on social media showed.

The chief secretary was not available for comment.

Saxena, who was due for superannuation on March 31, was given a six-month extension. His term was extended while the retirement party was on.

BJP MLA Bikram Singh, in a statement, said: “It is clear that this is a gross violation of democratic spirit, ethical conduct and administrative decorum. When the state is in debt of ₹1 lakh crore, then such events show that the government and bureaucracy have no concern with the problems of the common people.”

Singh, a former minister, said this was “a neglect of workload and financial discipline” as well as a violation under the Central Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, 1964.

MLA and BJP chief spokesperson Randhir Sharma also questioned how the cash-starved state can afford such extravagance.