SHIMLA, March 28: In a stunning blow to Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party - Himachal Vikas Party (BJP-HVC) ruling combine today proposed the name of senior Congress MLA and former Revenue Minister Gulab Singh Thakur for the post of Speaker in the State Assembly. The move has put former chief minister Virbhadra Singh in an embarrassing position.Two sets of nomination papers, sponsoring Thakur's name for the post of speaker, were filed by Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal and Industries Minister Kishori Lal, minutes before the closure of the nominations at 12 a m. The move, which threw Congress into a fresh crisis after yesterday's cross-voting for Rajya Sabha elections, has come as a morale-booster for the BJP-HVC combine, slated to face the vote of confidence in the Assembly on Tuesday.The election of the Speaker will be held on Monday, the day when the Assembly session begins. Former Forest minister Roop Singh Thakur, already nominated as the Pro tem Speaker of the House, will help conduct theelection of new Speaker.Congress has fielded former dy speaker Ishwar Dass as its candidate for the post, making it clear that the Oppn favoured a contest on the basis of its effective strength of 31 members in the House.But the cross-voting for Rajya Sabha polls and now the Congress MLA's agreeing to be the speaker (against the party's official nominee) is embarrassing for Virbhadra Singh, who heads the Congress Legislature Party.In addition, the BJP-HVC combine has also filed a separate set of nomination papers to propose the name of BJP MLA Rishi Ram Kaundal as ``covering candidate'' for the post. Kaundal held the post of a deputy speaker during the earlier BJP regime. His name has been proposed by Transport Minister Krishan Kapoor.Shocked over the turn-of-events, the Congress leaders met at the Holly Lodge, private residence of Virbhadra Singh, to chalk-out their next course of action. Party MLAs have called upon CLP leader Virbhadra Singh and Congress Committee president Sant Ram to take animmediate disciplinary action against ``erring'' members including BJP-HVC combine's nominee for the Speaker's post. Former Speaker Kaul Singh Thakur said that the nomination of Gulab Singh Thakur was ``pre-planned'' and that senior BJP leaders, including party president Advani, were party to the conspiracy.The Congress leaders said they were consulting the law books and legal experts to seek action against two MLAs, who had voted against the party nominee in the Rajya Sabha. They also favoured an immediate expulsion of Gulab Singh from the party, before he gets elected to the post, as planned by the ruling combine.
