6 chief parliamentary secretaries appointed in Himachal to keep flock together: Jai Ram Thakur

Leader of Opposition in Himachal Pradesh Assembly Jai Ram Thakur, Sunda, criticised the Congress government over the appointment of six chief parliamentary secretaries, claiming that it has been done to "keep the flock together" and would put a burden of crores of rupees on the state exchequer.

"We will look into the legal aspects of the matter as a court had earlier struck down their appointment. Whether it attracts the provision of office of profit would also be legally examined and necessary action would be taken," he said.

The BJP leader and former chief minister also accused the Congress dispensation of failing to give adequate representation to various regions in the cabinet expansion.

He hit out at the government for appointing three advisors with cabinet rank and also said the appointment of six chief parliamentary secretaries in one go is the change in the system the Congress government had been talking about.

Out of the 13 appointments made by the Congress government, eight MLAs have been appointed from Shimla parliamentary constituency while the rest of the three parliamentary constituencies have not been given adequate share, Thakur said in a statement here.

Read | Shimla, Rajputs dominate Himachal Pradesh Cabinet expansion

Taking a dig at the Congress government, he said during the three days of assembly session that concluded recently, the Congress leaders talked about reducing the expenditure in Himachal Pradesh but now they have appointed six chief parliamentary secretaries and put additional burden on the state exchequer.

He said that as of now Himachal Pradesh is under a debt of Rs 74,622 crores and the state government is planning to raise a loan of Rs 3,000 crore.

The government has given another "gift" to the poor people of the state by increasing the VAT on diesel by Rs 3 from Rs 4.40 to Rs 7.40, Thakur said.

The increase in the prices of diesel shows that there is a definite increase in freight charges in the state. It would put an additional burden on farmers as diesel is now going to cost Rs 86 per litre in Himachal, he said.

BJP state president and MP Suresh Kashyap said the appointment of six chief parliamentary secretaries will increase the burden on the state economy.

The four-week-old Himachal Pradesh cabinet headed by Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu was expanded on Sunday with the induction of seven ministers, including Vikramaditya Singh, the son of former chief minister Virbhadra Singh.

The strength of the cabinet has risen to nine. Besides the post of deputy speaker, three ministerial berths are still vacant as the maximum number of ministers, including the chief minister, cannot exceed 12.

Shimla district with seven MLAs has been given a lion's share in the cabinet with three ministers and one chief parliamentary secretary), while Bilaspur, Mandi and Lahaul and Spiti failed to get any representation.

The ministers include five Rajputs, one Brahmin and one member each from Schedule Tribe, Scheduled Caste and OBC categories.