Himachal Cabinet expansion: 1 berth, Kangra with 10 MLAs gets raw deal

Lalit Mohan

Dharamsala, January 8

Kangra got a raw deal in Cabinet expansion of the new Congress government in the state. Despite the fact that the district elected 10 MLAs, which constitutes 25 per cent of the total strength of Congress legislature party in Himachal Assembly, the district has got just one Cabinet berth in the Sukhvinder Sukhu government in the form of Chander Kumar, who represents Jawali Assembly constituency in Kangra. Two other leaders from district, Ashish Butail MLA Palampur and Kishori Lal MLA Baijnath, have been given the rank of Chief Parliamentary Secretary.

Former minister from Kangra Sudhir Sharma and AICC secretary RS Bali were ignored in Cabinet expansion. In the previous BJP government there were four leaders in Cabinet. They were minister for forest Rakesh Pathania, minister for industries Bikram Thakur, minister for social justice Sarveen Chaudhary and Vipin Singh Parmar, who was earlier health minister and later elected Speaker of Himachal Assembly.

As the list of ministers was out the people from Kangra took to social media to vent their ire against the new government terming the decision as injustice with the region. In 1998-2003 during the BJP government led by Prem Kumar Dhumal there were four Cabinet ministers from Kangra, in 2003-2007 Congress government led by Virbhadra Singh there were three Cabinet ministers from Kangra, in 2007-2012 BJP government led by Prem Kumar Dhumal there were four Cabinet ministers from Kangra, in 2012-2017 Congress government led by Virbhadra Singh again there were three Cabinet ministers and Speaker from Kangra district.

This is the lowest representation Kangra has in the state Cabinet since the formation of Himachal. Kangra got the post of Chief Minister in 1977 and 1990 when Shanta Kumar led the goverment.

The BJP has launched attack on new government. The BJP spokesperson for Kangra parliamentary constituency Sanjay Sharma, while talking to newsmen, alleged that the Cabinet expansion has illustrated the anti-Kangra attitude of new Congress government. The Congress fooled the people of Kangra by blaming the previous BJP government saying the party discriminated against the region. However, now in power the Congress has shown its real face.

Lowest representation since formation of state

• This is the lowest representation Kangra has in the state Cabinet since the formation of Himachal
• In the previous BJP government, four leaders from Kangra were in Cabinet
• In 2012-2017, under the Congress government led by Virbhadra Singh, there were three Cabinet ministers and Speaker from Kangra district

CABINET MINISTERS

Anirudh Singh (45)

Constituency: Kasumpti

Education: BA

Three-time MLA, he was elected to the 12th Vidhan Sabha in December 2012. He was re-elected to the 13th Vidhan Sabha (second term) in December, 2017. He was re-elected to the 14th Legislative Assembly in December 2022. He has remained the vice-president of the state Youth Congress, state general secretary of the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) and national coordinator of the IYC in the past.

Chander Kumar (78)

Constituency: JAWALI

Education: (M.Ed) and LLB

Six-time MLA, he was elected to Assembly in 1982 and 1985. He lost in 1990 but won again in 1993, 1998, 2003 and 2022. He remained MP from Kangra under the UPA-II government. He has worked for the uplift of the weaker sections of society. He took active part in the struggle for statehood. He was Deputy Minister for Health, Higher Education and Public Relations from April 1984 to March 1985; Minister of State for Forest (independent charge) from March 1985 to 1989, Minister of State for Agriculture and Art, Language & Culture and Fisheries (independent charge) from 1989 to 1990; and Cabinet Minister for Irrigation, Public Health, Science & Technology and Technical Education 1993 to 1998.

Dhani Ram Shandil (82)

Constituency: Solan

Education: PhD

THREE-TIME MLA from Solan, DR Shandil has bagged a Cabinet berth for the second time. He was the Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment under the Congress rule from 2012 to 2017. He served in the Army from 1962 to 1996 and retired as a Colonel. He won his first election as MP from Shimla LS seat in 1999 on Himachal Vikas Congress’ ticket. He joined the Congress later and retained this seat in 2004. He was the incharge of Mizoram, Meghalaya and Arunanchal Pradesh from 2011 to 2013.

Harshwardhan Chauhan (58)

Constituency: Shillai

Education: BA LLB

SIX-TERM MLA from Shillai constituency of Sirmaur, he is a first-term Cabinet minister who is the son of former Cabinet minister Guman Singh Chauhan. He has been associated with the NSUI, the student wing of the Congress since his college days. He occupied various positions in the Youth Congress, district and state Congress. He won his first election in 1993 and barring 2012, he won all Vidhan Sabha elections. He remained a CPS for a few months in 2005.

Jagat Singh Negi (65)

Constituency: Kinnaur

Education: BA LLB

Son of former MLA Gayan Singh Negi, Jagat Singh is a five-time MLA. He was first elected to the Legislative Assembly in 1995 (byelection) and re-elected in 2003 and 2012. He remained Deputy Speaker from March 12, 2013, to December 21, 2017. He was re-elected to the 13th Vidhan Sabha (4th term) in December, 2017, and was nominated as Member, Estimates and General Development Committees. He was also appointed Chief Whip, Congress Legislature Party.

Rohit Thakur (48)

Constituency: Jubbal-Kotkhai

Education: BA (Political Science)

Grandson of former CM Thakur Ram Lal, Rohit Thakur, a four-time MLA, was a member of the Pradesh Youth Congress State Executive from 2000 to 2004 and has been a member of the HPCC from Jubbal-Kotkhai from 2002 till date. He was the HPCC secretary from 2008 to 2011. He was elected MLA in 2003 and 2012 and was a CPS from May 2013 to December 2017. He was re-elected MLA in the byelection held on October 30, 2021, and then in December 2022.

Vikramaditya Singh (33)

Constituency: Shimla Rural

Education: MA (History)

Son of six-time Chief Minister late Virbhadra Singh and state Congress president Pratibha Singh, Vikramaditya was elected president of Himachal Pradesh Youth Congress from 2013 to 2018. He was elected to the State Legislative Assembly in December 2017 and was nominated as Member, Public Undertakings Committee and e-Governance-cum-General Purposes Committees. He was re-elected to the 14th Legislative Assembly in December 2022.

CHIEF PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARIES

Ramkumar Chaudhary (53) DOON | Education: MA

Ramkumar Chaudhary is a two-time MLA from Doon . His father Lajja Ram was a four-time MLA who was also a CPS in the earlier Congress regime. He was associated with the NSUI and the Youth Congress in his student days. He was the youngest chairman of the Zila Parishad from 2006 to 2011. He is the vice-president of the Pradesh Congress Committee and had also remained its general secretary from 2011 to 2017.

Sanjay Awasthy (57) Arki | Education: BA

Sanjay Awasthy is a two-time MLA from Arki who was associated with the NSUI and the Youth Congress during his student days. He is also the general secretary of the Pradesh Congress Committee as well as member of the All India Congress Committee. He is a member of the State disciplinary committee of the state Congress. He was the president of the District Cricket Association from 1996 to 2006. He had represented the state in Ranji Trophy national cricket championship.

Kishori Lal (75) Baijnath | Education: Matric pass

Kishori Lal is a second-time MLA from the Baijnath in Kangra. He is an agriculturist and a hotelier. Kishori Lal has remained panchayat up-pradhan and pradhan five times, block and district Congress committee general secretary, district Congress committee senior vice-president and PCC member. He was elected to the state Assembly for the first time in December 2012. He has been re-elected to the 14th Legislative Assembly in December 2022.

Mohan Lal Brakta (57) Rohru | Education: LLB

The three-time MLA is also an advocate. He was first elected to the State Legislative Assembly in 2012. He remained Member, Estimates, Rural Planning, Public Undertakings, Welfare, Privileges and Ethics Committees from 2013 to 2017. He was re-elected to the 13th Vidhan Sabha in 2017 and was nominated as Member, Welfare, Rule and e-Governance-cum-General Purposes Committees. He was re-elected to the 14th Legislative Assembly in December 2022.

Ashish Butail (42) Palampur | Education: BCom

A second-time Congress MLA from Palampur, he is the son of Beena Butail and Brij Behari Lal Butail, ex-Speaker and ex-Cabinet minister in HP. Butail is an agriculturist and one of biggest tea farmers of HP. He remained the Lok Sabha Youth Congress Committee president in 2011-13 and HP Congress Committee secretary from 2014 onwards. He was elected MLA for the first time in December 2017, and nominated as member of the Estimates and Rural Planning Committees.

Sunder Singh Thakur (57) Kullu | Education: B.Sc Medical, LLB

A second-time MLA from Kullu, he was the vice-president of HP NSUI (1989-91) and member, Panchayat Samiti, in 1991. Chairman, Panchayat Samiti, Kullu (1991-94). He was vice-chairman, Zila Parishad, Kullu (1994-99). He has held posts of vice-president, HP Youth Congress, general secretary, HP Congress Committee, 2012 onwards, and member, State Pollution Control Board (2003-08).