H I M A C H A L   P R A D E S H

Mohinder vows to expose BJP
SHIMLA, Dec 5 — The ousted PWD Minister, Mr Mohinder Singh, today said that he would not sit quiet and would expose the BJP government headed by Mr P.K. Dhumal, who had made him a “sacrificial lamb” to save his own skin from rebel ministers and legislators.

RSS played adviser in BJP crisis
SHIMLA, Dec 5 — The Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh has not been playing the role of a mediator during the current crisis in the BJP and only advising the dissidents and the ruling camp to work unitedly in the larger interest of the party.

Four students suspended
SOLAN, Dec 5 — Following recommendation of the Staff Council, the Principal of the local Government Postgraduate College, suspended four undergraduate students on charges of indiscipline and creating disturbance on the college campus, today.

HP awards for engineers
SHIMLA, Dec 5 — The Himachal Pradesh Government has decided to award those engineers who will do excellent work in construction, maintenance and repairs of roads and bridges in the state. 

Bhan’s plan on chemist shops
SHIMLA, Dec 5 — Dr Suraj Bhan, Governor of Himachal Pradesh, has asked the Health Department and the Red Cross to explore the possibilities of starting chemist shops in major health institutions to provide standard medicines to patients at nominal rates.

• Cong warns activists on panchayat poll
  

Mohinder vows to expose BJP
From S.P. Sharma
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Dec 5 — The ousted PWD Minister, Mr Mohinder Singh, today said that he would not sit quiet and would expose the BJP government headed by Mr P.K. Dhumal, who had made him a “sacrificial lamb” to save his own skin from rebel ministers and legislators.

Mr Mohinder Singh, who was talking to this correspondent on the telephone from his home town of Sarkaghat in Mandi district, said that he would go to the people and expose the BJP government.

The future strategy of his Himachal Vikas Party (HVP) would be decided this evening at a meeting at Mehatpur in Una district.

He said that a “lie” was being spread that he had resigned from the Cabinet. He said that he had submitted his resignation along with all other ministers to Mr Dhumal on April 18 to enable him to recast his ministry. However, Mr Dhumal rejected the resignation after affecting some minor changes in the ministry and taking the excise and taxation portfolio from “me”.

Mr Mohinder Singh clarified that he had not submitted any fresh resignation to Mr Dhumal.

He accused Mr Dhumal of having broken the traditions of alliance by dropping him from the ministry under the pressure of the dissidents.

He claimed that he had always supported Mr Dhumal sincerely and also campaigned extensively for BJP candidates in the Shimla Lok Sabha and Solan assembly elections.

Instead of wasting his time on the BJP, he would now concentrate on strengthening his HVP, he said.

Meanwhile, the leader of the Congress Legislature Party, Mr Virbhadra Singh, has said that by dropping Mr Mohinder Singh from the Cabinet, Mr Dhumal has bought temporary peace. At the best, the exercise will prove to be a temporary truce between the Chief Minister and the rebels, who have raised serious issues in their letter of ‘no-confidence’ to the state BJP chief and the Chief Minister.

Mr Virbhadra Singh said that dropping of the minister was not enough and the Chief Minister should order an immediate CBI inquiry into the allegations of corruption and nepotism made by his own rebel ministers and legislators. The allegations listed in the “charge sheet” of the Congress should also be inquired into by the CBI.

Only a CBI inquiry into the acts of omission and commission of the Dhumal government would satisfy the people of Himachal Pradesh. Anything short of this would be an attempt to whitewash the entire matter.

Mr Virbhadra Singh said that the allegations of corruption and nepotism against the public service commission, services selection board, Kangra Cooperative Bank and Himachal Pradesh University levelled by the rebels were of a serious nature and required to be thoroughly inquired into.

One of the main demands of the rebels to replace the general secretary Mr Narendera Modi who was looking after the BJP’s organisational matters in Himachal, had not yet been met.

On the other hand, senior leaders of the Himachal Vikas Party have said that the ruling BJP should not forget the contribution and sacrifice of Mr Mohinder Singh in stabilising the Dhumal government.

Senior leaders of the HVP — Mr Kewal Ram Chauhan, Mr Bhagat Ram Chauhan, Mr Devinder Bushahri, Mr G.D. Verma, Mr Tersem Bharti, Mr Daulat Ram Chauhan and Mr Haminder Thakur — have congratulated Mr Mohinder Singh, for showing courage to resign from the Cabinet to defuse the crisis in the BJP.

Meanwhile, Mr Ram Swaroop Sharma, general secretary of the state BJP, today said that the amicable settlement of the crisis in the party had upset the calculations of the Congress, which was trying to exploit the situation.

He said that the party had emerged stronger from the crisis.

RSS played adviser in BJP crisis
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Dec 5 — The Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) has not been playing the role of a mediator during the current crisis in the BJP and only advising the dissidents and the ruling camp to work unitedly in the larger interest of the party.

Stating this at press conference here yesterday, Mr Jagannath Sharma and Mr Chet Ram, president and secretary of the state unit of the sangh, respectively, said leaders of the BJP had been off and on seeking the advice of the RSS. The rebels and the ruling faction had sought the help of the RSS in resolving the crisis and the advice given by them had the desired effect. The rival factions softened their stand considerably paving way for an amicable solution to the crisis.

The sangh, they asserted, was against corruption at any level and stood for cleansing the public life.

Referring to the month-long “janjagran” campaign of the sangh which concluded on November 30, the two leaders said the exercise had not only helped in dispelling misconceptions about the organisation but also brought to fore its shortcomings.

The sangh had decided to hold 18 training camps across the state to recruit new workers who would in turn organise the branches. At present there were about 25,000 active workers of the sangh in the state.

It has decided to provide whatever help was required in rehabilitating 50 families affected by floods in the Sutlej. Besides repairing damaged houses, it would also build new ones wherever land was available.

During the campaign organised to mark the 75 years of the RSS the workers distributed seven lakh leaflets, two lakh booklets and other material in 9,132 villages of the state.

Four students suspended
From Our Correspondent

SOLAN, Dec 5 — Following recommendation of the Staff Council, the Principal of the local Government Postgraduate College, suspended four undergraduate students on charges of indiscipline and creating disturbance on the college campus, today.

These students are — Vinor Zinta and Munish Thakur, both of BA-II, and Ramesh Chand and Vinod Kumar of BA-I.

These students owed allegience to the Himachal Students Union (HIMSU), a breakaway group of the NSUI. HIMSU had been agitating and had started a relay fast from November 16.

On that day, a clash between two rival groups of students lead to serious injuries to some students and subsequent registration of cross cases by the police.

Yesterday, the four suspended students along with some other HIMSU activists, locked up the Principal in his office following his refusal to accept some of their demands.

The student’s ‘high-handed action’ resulted in widespread resentment amongst the teachers, who immediately convened a meeting of the College Staff Council. The meeting unanimously resolved to boycott all teaching work till strict action was taken against erring students. 

HP awards for engineers
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Dec 5 — The Himachal Pradesh Government has decided to award those engineers who will do excellent work in construction, maintenance and repairs of roads and bridges in the state. The criteria for this will be performance, motivational skill, economy in spending, maintaining quality of work and timely completion of projects.

This was decided at a meeting of senior officers of the department here today, which was presided over by the Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, who holds the public works portfolio following the ouster of Mr Mohinder Singh.

Outlining the directives, he stressed maintaining clean and honest image of the department and said this message should percolate from higher to lower levels and cautioned that anyone found guilty would be dealt with sternly.

The Chief Minister said there should be transparency in giving tenders and added that procedures be followed strictly.

Emphasising for the timely completion of works, he said senior officers should visit the construction sites frequently and an order book regarding inspections be maintained. He also stressed maintenance of village and interior roads to avoid inconvenience to the people.

Mr Dhumal said the construction and maintenance of roads was on a priority basis for the government.

The Chief Minister said the estimates of the works should be realistic. He said all new buildings constructed in the state should be in consonance with the natural environment. He added that deviation in maps, once approved, would not be allowed without government’s approval.

Mr S.K. Sood, Financial Commissioner-cum-Secretary (PWD), appraised the Chief Minister regarding various works being undertaken by the department.

Bhan’s plan on chemist shops
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Dec 5 — Dr Suraj Bhan, Governor of Himachal Pradesh, has asked the Health Department and the Red Cross to explore the possibilities of starting chemist shops in major health institutions to provide standard medicines to patients at nominal rates.

He suggested the setting up of a revolving fund in this regard. Such a mechanism could be implemented in one of the main health institutions on an experimental basis. This would ensure quality medicines to patients at reasonable prices besides saving them from the botheration of running from one shop to another. The Governor was speaking on the occasion of presentation of an ambulance by Narain Dharmarth Aushdhalaya Trust to the Red Cross.

Mr Vijay Bhushan, Chief Postmaster-General, and one of the trustees, presented the keys of the ambulance to the Governor.

Cong warns activists on panchayat poll
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Dec 5 — The Congress party has warned its activists of disciplinary action in case they contested the coming panchayat elections on the party symbol. The permanent secretary of the party, Mr A.N. Bazwaria, said yesterday that although it had been decided to contest these elections without party symbol, but complaints had come that some of the partymen were defying these instructions.