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Will challenge appointment of chief parliamentary secretaries in court: Jai Ram
Leader of Opposition in Himachal Pradesh assembly Jai Ram Thakur also pointed out the regional imbalance in the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led cabinet while addressing a press conference in Shimla
Leader of Opposition in Himachal Pradesh assembly Jai Ram Thakur on Monday said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will challenge the “illegal” appointment of chief parliamentary secretaries in court.
He also pointed out the regional imbalance in the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led cabinet while addressing a press conference in Shimla. “The Congress leaders made tall claims about their intent to change the system, but the first change their party brought was the appointment of a deputy chief minister, which had never happened in the history of the state,” he said.
“The Congress government first went on a de-notification spree during which, a 70-year-old police station at Sundernagar was also closed. It is for the first time as well that cement plants have been shut down soon after the new government came to power in state,” he added.
‘Kangra ignored in cabinet expansion’
The former chief minister also spoke about the “raw deal” the electorally significant Kangra district got. “Keeping Mandi out of the cabinet is understood as the Congress didn’t win enough seats in the district, but what about Kangra where they won 10 out of 15 seats? There is only one minister and the speaker from the Kangra parliamentary constituency. This cabinet lacks regional as well as caste balance,” Jai Ram said.
He said that five ministers are from the Shimla parliamentary segment, while Kangra got just one ministerial berth. “From Mandi parliamentary constituency too, only one MLA was picked from Kinnaur. And from Mandi and Bilaspur districts, not even a chief parliamentary secretary (CPS) was appointed,” he added.
The CPS appointment, which Jai Ram claimed was done to prevent defection and save the government, would only create a financial burden on the public as they will be entitled to many facilities equivalent to ministers. “The Supreme Court and high courts have in the past annulled such appointments in Assam, Manipur and Delhi,” he said.
He also slammed the Congress government for increasing the VAT on diesel. The state government had raised the VAT on diesel by ₹3 on Sunday.
Jai Ram said in November 2021, when the BJP was in power in Himachal, the state government had provided relief to the people by slashing VAT on petrol by ₹12 and diesel by ₹17.
“But soon after assuming power, the Congress increased the VAT. The diesel would now cost ₹86 instead of ₹83 in Himachal, which will eventually cause inflation as prices of essential commodities will soar,” he added.
“This burden will be passed on to the end user that is the common public which had voted for the Congress. It had promised to bring down the inflation, but is now acting in contradiction to its claim,” he further said.
