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Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Saturday said the long-awaited expansion and reshuffle of the state Cabinet would take place soon, while dismissing Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur's claim that the Congress high command was considering replacing him as "daydreaming."
Speaking to reporters during his two-day visit to Chamba after returning from Delhi, Sukhu said discussions on the Cabinet exercise had already taken place with the party leadership, and a final decision would be made shortly. "The Cabinet expansion and reshuffle will take place soon. Who becomes the minister will become clear when it happens," Sukhu said. The Chief Minister had recently met senior Congress leaders, including Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal, in New Delhi, where discussions were held on the Cabinet expansion, reallocation of ministerial portfolios, and the appointment of the Deputy Speaker of the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly. The state Cabinet currently has one vacant berth, while the post of Deputy Speaker in the Assembly is also lying vacant. During his visit to Chamba, Sukhu is scheduled to preside over the closing ceremony of the International Minjar Fair and inaugurate three blocks of the Government Medical College at Sarol. He said the state government had sanctioned an additional Rs 250 crore to complete the long-pending medical college project. "The construction had started during the previous BJP government, but our government arranged an additional Rs 250 crore to complete the project. Healthcare is one of our top priorities after education," he said. Responding to allegations by Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur that FIRs were being registered against BJP MLAs under political pressure, Sukhu said action would be taken against anyone who had amassed wealth through corruption, irrespective of political affiliation. "If someone has built properties worth Rs 50 crore or Rs 100 crore, they should disclose the source of that wealth. If the assets have been acquired legally, they should present the details. The government will not spare anyone who has amassed properties through corruption," he said. The Chief Minister maintained that there was no political vendetta behind such investigations and said public money should be used for the welfare of the poor, widows and children rather than for personal enrichment through politics. Sukhu rejected Jai Ram Thakur's allegation that the Congress leadership was unhappy with his functioning and was considering a change in leadership. Earlier in the day, Thakur had claimed that a report submitted by Congress' Himachal Pradesh in-charge Rajani Patil to the party high command had suggested that either the Chief Minister change his style of functioning or be replaced. Taking a swipe at Sukhu's repeated assertion that he was "here for a long innings," Thakur had said the reported observations in the in-charge's report did not indicate a long political future for the Chief Minister. Rejecting the claim, Sukhu said, "Jai Ram ji is day dreaming. I have always played long innings." He also dismissed reports of differences with Rajani Patil as baseless and took a dig at the BJP, saying, "Jai Ram relies more on social media. There is no future of the 'chanda chor' party and the paper leak party." Sukhu asserted that speculation about differences between him and the Congress leadership had no basis and said the party remained united. (ANI)
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