Opposition cordon State Govt for opening IPH divisions on political consideration
Shimla, Dec 21
In the ongoing winter session of the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha, the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) criticized the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led government for its decision to open new Irrigation and Public Health (IPH) divisions. The BJP alleged that the government’s actions were politically motivated, focusing on constituencies represented by the Chief Minister and Deputy CM.
During the question hour on Thursday, the BJP accused the state government and the IPH minister of engaging in political favoritism by opening divisions selectively in the home segments of the Chief Minister and Deputy CM. Responding to BJP’s Pawan Kajal, the Deputy Chief Minister defended the move, stating that there should be 68 IPH subdivisions in each assembly segment. He pointed out that the government had opened three subdivisions in Nadaon, Haroli, and Rajgarh assembly constituencies.
The Deputy Chief Minister said that IPH divisions had been opened for political reasons during the previous BJP regime. However, he emphasized that the current government had canceled many of them due to irregularities and lack of proper procedures. He highlighted an example where the IPH subdivision of Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania was located in Dalhousie assembly at Banikhet, which he deemed irrational.
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Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur also raised concerns, alleging that the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu government had closed down 900 institutions in assembly constituencies without adequate explanation. He challenged the government’s claims of financial constraints and questioned how new divisions were being opened.
Agnihotri defended the government’s actions, stating that two divisions were opened, including Rajgarh, as part of an effort to address the previous government’s shortcomings. BJP member Randhir Sharma urged sensitivity, especially considering Reena Kashyap as the lone woman MLA, and called for rationalizing IPH divisions in constituencies.
In response to opposition allegations, CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu explained that his government had closed down institutions opened during the BJP government’s tenure. He emphasized that, after one year in power, his government had made financial improvements, enabling the opening of three subdivisions, with the potential for more in the future.
In an assurance to the house, CM Sukhu stated that when Congress came into power, it was not in a position to keep open all the divisions, but now the state has improved financial conditions by at least 20 per cent and is in a position to open more subdivisions with further improvements in state funds in the future. Earlier, the leader of the opposition had pointed out that eight subdivisions previously closed by the government were now being reopened, raising concerns about potential political considerations.
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