Minister’s son announces grant to mela committee

Solan MLA and Minister for Health and Family Welfare DR Shandil appears to have granted his general power to his son as the latter was found distributing his MLA Local Area Development Fund at a fair held at Salogra, near here, recently.

While the Congress leadership was yet to take a call on who would be the next nominee for the Vidhan Sabha polls, Shandil has the task cut out for his Colonel son. Shandil, an octogenarian, it seems, was paving the way for his son to follow his footsteps.

Throwing democratic norms to the wind, Sanjay Shandil announced a sum of Rs 21,000 to the mela committee from the MLA Local Area Development Fund of the health minister for successfully organising the Salogra fair. This left Congress leaders present there shocked as none had expected this. The video of the event has gone viral on various social media platforms.

Taking exception to this announcement, BJP leader Shailendra Gupta termed it as a gross violation of the democratic norms and said the Congress was setting a new precedent.

“DR Shandil also heads the Twenty Point Programme of the government but he has no interest in convening its meeting while his son was distributing MLA local area development fund which was surprising,” stated Gupta.

He said if the minister has passed “his general power of attorney” to his son then he should ask him to convene the meeting of the crucial Twenty Point Programme so that its working was not impaired.

The Twenty Point Programme is a monitoring mechanism which covers various socio-economic aspects like poverty eradication, employment, education, housing, health, agriculture, land reforms, irrigation, drinking water, protection and empowerment of weaker sections, consumer protection, environment, e-governance, etc.

Though it was launched by the former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1975, the Congress minister appears to have no interest in its successful implementation, alleged Gupta.