Within a week of coming to power in the state, the BJP Government led by Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal has lifted the ban on holding RSS shakhas at public places.Moreover, government servants will also be free to participate in the shakhas and other activities of the Sangh Parivar now. Earlier, the Virbhadra Singh Government had banned shakhas in public spaces and also barred government staff from attending such functions.Dhumal announced the decision at a public meeting in his native district of Hamirpur last night.“We had opposed the Congress decision and staged protests both inside and outside the Assembly, demanding freedom to hold RSS shakhas. But, Virbhadra Singh did not budge,” recalled state BJP president Jairam Thakur.In another decision, Dhumal announced that the functioning of the religious shrines would be handed back to their managements, as per the BJP’s poll promise. The Congress Government had taken over the management of some temples to ensure their smooth functioning.Meanwhile, Dhumal is scheduled to go to Delhi tomorrow to meet the party high command and decide on the list of ministers for his Cabinet. Their swearing-in is set to take place in Shimla on January 9.According to sources, the Chief Minister is expected to accommodate most of his party seniors to give fair representation to all regions and castes. Sources said senior leader Shanta Kumar has also been taken into confidence about the choice of ministers and their portfolios. Though the total size of the ministry is12, Dhumal is understood to have proposed a small-sized ministry, leaving scope for future expansion. Some names doing the rounds include J P Nadda, Krishan Kapoor, Ramesh Dhwala, Roop Singh Thakur, Mohinder Singh, Hari Narain Saini. The Speaker is expected to be a toss between Gulab Singh Thakur, who was the Speaker during the previous BJP-HVC coalition government, and Suresh Bhardwaj, former state BJP president.
