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Himachal BJP meets tomorrow to counter Oppn charge on health scam, reach consensus on state unit chief
Chief minister Jai Ram Thakur convenes BJP legislature meet on Wednesday afternoon after party’s virtual rally; cabinet expansion likely to be discussed
The Himachal Pradesh BJP legistlature party will meet in Shimla on Wednesday to decide on the successor of Rajeev Bindal, who resigned as state unit chief after his name surfaced in the health department scam recently.
Convened by chief minister Jai Ram Thakur, the meeting at the government-run Peterhoff Hotel will chalk out the government and party’s strategy to neutralise opposition Congress’s escalating attack in the scam.
Thakur, who heads the legislature party, also holds the health portfolio.
The department came under a cloud last month when the then director, health services, Dr Ajay Kumar Gupta was caught on audio tape demanding a bribe of Rs 5 lakh from Prithvi Singh, the representative of a supplier of personal protective equipment (PPE) for the state’s corona frontline workers. The scam led to state BJP chief Rajeev Bindal stepping down on moral grounds due to his proximity with Dr Gupta and to ensure a fair probe.
CONGRESS SHARPENS ATTACK
The development gave the opposition Congress a tool to hit out at the ruling party and demand a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) that too at a time when then state government is grappling to contain the spread of coronavirus.
“State BJP president Rajeev Bindal resigned after Dr Gupta’s arrest in the health scam. Chief minister Jai Ram Thakur, who is at the helm, should have quit before Bindal. The government should clarify on the circumstances that led to Bindal’s quitting,” said leader of opposition Mukesh Agnihotri.
After attending the party’s virtual rally at the state BJP office, Deep Kamal, members of the legislature party are expected to come up with a consensus candidate to take over as state Bharatiya Janata Party chief.
Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and the chief minister will address BJP workers virtually amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
State BJP chief spokesman Randhir Sharma, the chief minister’s political adviser and party general secretary Trilok Jamwal, Sundernagar legislator Rakesh Jamwal, Kangra Co-operative Bank chairman Rajeev Bhardwaj and party general secretary Ram Singh are frontrunners for the post.
TWO CABINET BERTHS VACANT
The party is expected to discuss the cabinet expansion since two berths are vacant after food minister Kishan Kapoor was elected to the Lok Sabha and power minister Anil Sharma quit before last year’s parliamentary elections. The Congress had allotted the party ticket to his son Asheray Sharma from Mandi.
The names of Nurpur legislator Rakesh Pathania and Paonta Sahib MLA Sukhram Chaudhary are doing the rounds for inclusion in the cabinet.
Intra-party squabbles have also become a cause of concern for the ruling party with supporters of former chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal stepping up activities in the politically sensitive Kangra district. Former irrigation and public health minister Ravinder Singh Ravi, Kangra Lok Sabha member Kishan Kapoor, former legislator Sanay Chaudhary and party leaders Ranvir Singh Nikka, Nirmal Singh, and Ghanshyam Sharma held closed-door meetings in Dharamshala recently much to the discomfort of Jai Ram Thakur.
