Phone tapping episode set to take centrestage

The BJP has a strength of 26 MLAs while the Congress has improved its tally to 36,since the polls,after making three independent MLAs – Balbir Verma,Krinesh Jung and Pawan Kajal – as its associate members. In fact,the Himachal Lokhit Party led by Kullu MLA Maheshwar Singh,a former BJP MP,has also extended support to the Congress.

The election of Kinnaur MLA Jagat Singh Negi is expected to happen during the session’s first week. Only Rajender Rana,a BJP rebel,has not announcedif he would support any party.

Says Suresh Bhardwaj,the BJP’s chief whip in the House: “The party’s floor strategy will be discussed at the MLAs’ meeting on Monday. We had initially decided to give the government time to implement its decisions but going by the decisions and non-action of the government,the BJP will definitely raise some critical issues.”

Beside unnecessarily raking up the phone tapping issue to defame the previous government,the Congress,on return to power,has only worked in one area – whole-sale transfers of employees on political grounds.

The names of several schemes introduced by our government in the name and title of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has been changed. None of the schemes mentioned in their manifesto have been started,he added.

The Congress,on the other hand,is confident of aggressively taking on the BJP over corruption,lack of development,cases registered against rivals including Virbhadra Singh and above all, phone tapping. “We will place all the facts before the House for knowledge of the people as to how more than 1,300 telephones were tapped,cases were framed and Himachal was put on sale with the help of a land mafia,” alleges Mukesh Agnihotri.

The Congress,however,will face embarrassment over its sitting MLA,Ram Kumar Chaudhary,being lodged at Ambala jail for the alleged murder of a 24-year-old Hoshiarpur dalit woman.

The Chief minister,meanwhile,will present the state budget on March 14. There will be no Governor’s address this time as it had already been delivered during first session of the House at Dharamshala.