BJP to discuss candidate’s name with Nadda today

SHIMLA: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is likely to discuss the name of its candidate for the lone Rajya Sabha seat, election for which is slated for March 26, in a meeting on Thursday.

Chief election officer C Paulrasu said, “Notification for the election will be issued on March 6. The last date of filing nominations will be March 13. Scrutiny of nomination will be done on March 16 and the nomination can be taken back by March 18. Polling will be held on March 26 from 9am to 4pm. The votes will be counted at 5 pm on the same day.”

The meeting will be presided over by BJP national president JP Nadda. The seat falls vacant as Congress MP Viplove Thakur completes her term in April.htc

SHIMLA:: Himachal Pradesh assembly witnessed uproarious scenes during the question hour on second day of the budget session on Wednesday as chief minister Jai Ram Thakur and Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader Mukesh Agnihotri locked horns over extension in service and re-employment granted to government servants.

The Congress later staged a walkout over alleged large-scale transfers of government employees. Replying to a question raised by Jawalamukhi legislator Ramesh Dhawala on the extension in service and re-employment to the government servants, chief minister said that the figures were far less than the previous regime.

Chief minister said during his present term, only 20 government servants were given extension and 213 re-employment. “During Congress regime, 2,397 were given extension in service and 1,248 were re-employed in violation of rules,” the chief minister said.

VERBAL SPAT BETWEEN CM, LEADER OF OPPN

Thereafter, raising a supplementary question, leader of opposition Mukesh Agnihotri contended that in-principle the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was against extension and re-employment. “So, will the will the government impose a complete ban on the practice?” he asked.

Responding to him, chief minister said that the figures of the Congress regime were startling. “Truth is bitter and opposition doesn’t want to listen it,” he alleged.

To this, Agnihotri stood on his seat and tried to say something, however, chief minister snubbed him saying that the opposition wants to tell things but doesn’t listen. “No one is afraid of you,” he said, advising Agnihotri to keep calm and learn from veteran leader Virbhadra Singh.

Meanwhile, chief minister said that extension and re-employment is necessary in certain cases. “However, the previous government gave extension and re-employment purely on political bases and to people of a particular ideology,” said the chief minister.

He said that the present government has tried to ensure that norms are not violated while granting extension and re-employment. “Our government is not in favour of implementing the practice on large scale,” he said.

The chief minister informed that from January 2015 to January 2018, a total of 1,160 employees were given extension in service and more than ₹28 crore were spent on their salaries and perks.

HIGH COMMAND’S CHOICE

The Speaker’s post had been lying vacant since January 16 when then Speaker Rajeev Bindal submitted his resignation. Bindal was later elected as the president of the state unit of the BJP. On Monday, the CM had said the BJP high command had decided to appoint Parmar as the new Speaker.

Thakur said he had spoken to BJP national president JP Nadda and mentioned that Nadda finalised the name of the MLA from Sulah constituency in Kangra