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HC verdict: BJP wants CM to resign
Dhumal asks CM to resign
Verdict a setback to Virbhadra
Students lathicharged to avoid group clash
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Probe into fake handicap Id-cards
Two foreigners airlifted
CSD canteen at Yol Cantt opens
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HC verdict: BJP wants CM to resign
Shimla, August 18 Reacting to the court’s ruling the Chief Minister said that the government had not as yet received the copy of the judgement and it would take a view only after studying it. He added said that legal options have not been exhausted. He said by demanding his resignation BJP leaders had only betrayed their lack of understanding and it also indicated that they had nor real issues to raise. Mr Suresh Bhardwaj, state’s BJP chief demanded the resignation of Mr Virbhadra Singh on moral grounds as the court had termed his action as illegal. He had tried to bypass the law limiting the size of ministry. Mr Shanta Kumar, a former Union Minister, said Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, should convene an all-party meeting to discuss ways and means to prevent states from circumventing the law. He said the 91st amendment was passed unanimously and government should now evolve a consensus on the issue and ensure that the law was not subverted any more. He advised Mr Virbhadra Singh not to move the Supreme Court against the verdict and hoped that he would do at least this much to uphold the spirit of the Constitution. Mr J.P.Nadda, a former Minister, also demanded the resignation of Mr Virbhadra Singh and said that the Congress high command which approved induction of Parliamentary Secretaries was equally responsible for the illegal Act. |
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Dhumal asks CM to resign
Kangra, August 18 Mr Dhumal while talking to The Tribune on telephone from his residence in Samirpur said, “Chief Minister should resign as he has no moral right to stay in the office after today’s
judgment of the court regarding the scraping of the illegal and unconstitutional appointments by his government.” He said the Chief Minister had violated the 91st Constitutional Amendment which had fixed the number ministers for every state. He alleged that lakhs were being spent on the luxuries of the newly appointed parliamentary secretaries. Mr Dhumal further said the court had rightly ordered for the recovery of the money spent on these appointees. |
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News Analysis Rakesh Lohumi Tribune News Service
Shimla, August 18 While the ruling could have a major political fallout across the country, it will go a long way in upholding the spirit of the 91st constitutional amendment, which limits the size of a ministry. The immediate fallout will be seen in Punjab and Sikkim where similar petitions are already before the respective high courts. The posts of Chief Parliamentary Secretary and Parliamentary Secretary enabled the political bosses to have jumbo-sized ministries by circumventing law as technically they were not considered as ministers but in practice they enjoyed all powers and privileges of ministers. The verdict will force them to act within the ambit of the Constitution. The judgement has come as a setback to the Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, and has also jolted the 12 incumbents who got the coveted post, which virtually bestowed upon them the status of a minister. More importantly, the regional and caste imbalance created due to the downsizing of ministry last year will persist. The entire exercise carried out by Mr Virbhadra Singh to remove the imbalances by inducting Parliamentary Secretaries has been annulled. The Chief Minister will come under pressure for inducting one or two ministers from Kangra, the biggest and politically significant district of the state which bore the brunt of the downsizing exercise. While all three dropped ministers belonged to Kangra, Mr Chander Kumar, the fourth minister, got elected to the Lok Sabha. The district, which initially had six ministers, was left with two. None of them is from the dominant Rajput, backward and Scheduled Castes communities. A small state like Himachal Pradesh can have a maximum of 12 ministers, including the Chief Minister, and at present 11 are in place. A berth fell vacant when Mrs Asha Kumari resigned early this year. Restoring the regional balance will not be possible without dropping some ministers as at present the Shimla district, with just eight Assembly segments, has the highest number of three ministers whereas Kangra with 16 legislators has only two ministers. Districts like Solan, Sirmour, Hamirpur, Kinnaur and Lahaul- Spiti have no representation in the ministry.
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Students lathicharged to avoid group clash
Shimla, August 18 Supporters of the Students Federation of India and the Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad had assembled in strength in front of the office of the Vice-Chancellor where a meeting of the Principals of colleges was being held to decide on the elections to the students central association. While no decision was taken at the meeting, the students who wanted the university authorities to announce the election schedule gheraoed the office. In the meantime, supporters of the National Students Union of India (NSUI) also arrived and various groups started raising slogans against each other. It lead to heated arguments between the leaders of the NSUI and the ABVP. Before the situation could go out of control, the police swung into action and resorted to lathicharge to disperse the protesters. As many as 12 students were injured. Four press photographers also received the blows while a camera of one of them was damaged.
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Probe into fake handicap Id-cards
Mandi, August 18 According to officials, the Id-cards were issued by the department after the board instituted by the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) recommened the certificates. In 23 cases, the beneficiaries have either tampered with the original cards issued to other persons or have procured fake ones from other sources, officials revealed here. The CMO, Dr K.C. Sharma, said they had not received the records of the 21 persons from the Welfare Department so far. “We have examined the two cases that have turned out to be fake”, he said. The DSWO, Mr Khem Chand, said the department had instituted an inquiry in 23 cases that had come to light. “In eight cases, the accused have submitted their documents to the police. Jai Singh was arrested after the department lodged the FIR at Karsog following a complaint. One or two persons are government employees, and are being probed”, he said. The official said 21 cases had been sent to the CMO for verification. “It has turned out that even addresses are wrong. The report is awaited”, he added. Officials said there were over 7,500 persons who had been awarded HICs. “They get free travel facility in HRTC buses and their children get a monthly pension of Rs 250 in schools and college, provided they are not government servants”, they said. |
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Two foreigners airlifted
Kulu August 18 Meanwhile, search for the missing Australian Daniel Mount Whitten has been intensified while his 20 relatives and friends have arrived here from Isreal. This sister said more than 100 persons were involved in the search, besides the police and Home Guards. Mr Prem Chand, DSP said the family of the missing Australian had distributed posters of Whitten in the valley. |
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CSD canteen at Yol Cantt opens
Dharamsala, August 18
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