Himachal confidential : Breather for babus

The Congress Legislature Party seems to be getting its act together towards the end of the Assembly’s tenure. Till now,the CLP’s spilt was public knowledge but the ongoing budget session – the last before the state goes to polls – has put CLP leader Vidya Stokes in a commanding position with young turks – majority of them Virbhadra Singh loyalists – standing firmly behind her to ensure Health Minister Rajeev Bindal is sacked. Insiders say the youngsters had prepared a ‘one-act play’ as a medium of protest to slam CM Dhumal and Bindal in the Assembly but Stokes- known for her sobriety – shot it down. The move,if it had materialised ,could have been a reminder of what the BJP’s J P Nadda and MLA Krishan Kapoor (now minister) had done in the House a few years back to demand the ouster of Union Minister Sukh Ram.

All Set

It wasn’t Himachal’s proximity alone that ensured Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal was the first VVIP to get Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal’s invitation to attend his grand swearing- in- ceremony last week. There seems to be other convincing reasons behind such a gesture. Thus,Dhumal made it a point to attend the ceremony despite the state Assembly being in session. What seems to have honoured Dhumal was that Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal and his MP wife Harsimrat Kaur,literally touched Dhumal’s feet to take his blessings. But what really seems to have warmed Dhumal’s heart was that most VVIPs present at the function,including the Badals,predicted that Shimla would be the next to host an equally grand show. “ Don’t be complacent like the Punjab Congress,Prof Sahib,” was some quick advice from another well-wisher who overheard the conversion.

Close to the end

Chief Secretary Rajwant Sandhu presided over her last Committee of Secretaries (COS) meeting as she will be retiring this month. The 1975-batch IAS officer,known for wielding an iron rod in her dealings with bureaucrats ever since she took charge in 2010,was unusually cool throughout the meeting. She even took extra care to thank all secretaries for their cooperation and lastly she hosted a lunch for the entire team as a goodwill gesture. As per tradition,the IAS officers association is preparing a farewell dinner for her. There are a few,however,who have taken some of her harsh actions to heart and are maintaining a studied silence and keeping their fingers crossed on who succeeds Sandhu. Good wishes CS ma’am!