SHIMLA, May 18 — The HVC (M) removed Mr Sukh Ram from the post of chief patron of the party today and appointed Mr Mohinder Singh, PWD Minister, in his place.

The announcement in this regard was made by Mr Mohinder Singh here this morning.

He said the step had been taken as Mr Sukh Ram was “hobnobbing” with the Congress and issuing statements against the BJP-HVC combine government in which he was enjoying Cabinet status as the Chairman of the Employment Generation Committee.

He accused Mr Sukh Ram of hatching a conspiracy to ditch the BJP-HVC combine government headed by Mr P.K. Dhumal.

Mr Mohinder Singh said Mr Sukh Ram was appointed chief patron of the party which split last month. He claimed that the HVC headed by him was the actual party while the other was only a breakaway group.

He alleged that Mr Sukh Ram’s greed for power had been exposed when he was refused the post of Deputy Chief Ministership and inducted as a minister in the Cabinet by Mr Dhumal. Mr Sukh Ram again grabbed the post of the Chairman of Employment Generation Committee after he had to resign his ministerial berth following the framing of corruption charges against him. “Had Mr Sukh Ram any self respect, he should not have accepted the ministerial berth in the first place till the cases against him were settled”.

He also took exception to the statements by Mr Vijay Joshi, Chairman of the General Industries Corporation and Mr Chaman Lal Ghachli, Chairman of the SC and ST Corporation, “issuing” against the government.

He accused Mr Sukh Ram of systematically trying to break the HVC and join the Congress.

He said under Section 9 of the Constitution of the HVC, Mr Sukh Ram had ceased to be president of the party since July 6 last year after the completion of his two-year term. “The HVC(M) has already started the process of organisational elections which have so far been completed in the Lahaul-Spiti district”, he added.