Shimla: More than cricket is likely to be discussed at the Dharamshala cricket stadium as senior BJP leader LK Advani and chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal sit down to enjoy the game in the shadow of Dhauladhar ranges on Tuesday.
Advani along with his wife and daughter arrived late in the afternoon at Gaggal airport, Kangra and headed to venue for watching the evening match to be played between Kings XI Punjab and Royal Challengers, Banglore.
Sources within BJP revealed that other than cricket the thorny issue about a rebellious parliamentarian of the party targeting the state leaderships and expansion of the cabinet were among other issues expected to be brought up before the senior leader.
State BJP president Khimi Ram has been asking the party high command to rein in Rajan Sushant, party MP from Kangra, who has launched a campaign to fight corruption both against the state and central governments.
Sushant from public platforms has offered to undergo a narco test and demanded that state ministers and the chief minister also take the test to prove their credentials about their resolve for zero tolerance to corruption.
Party incharge for the state Kalraj Mishra at a media briefing here in March had expressed helplessness in containing the MPs outbursts.
“No one in the party is allowed to air differences publicly,†Mishra had said without spelling out what action the party intended to take against acts of indiscipline.
Sushant, when contacted refrained to comment. However, the MP was not going to watch the evening match with Advani and others in the stadium. “I’m out touring the constituency,†he said.
As the ruling party tenure heads into election year, pressure is mounting on chief minister Dhumal to fill the last slot in the cabinet and accommodate others as parliamentary secretaries or as heads of boards and corporations.
Of the 12 member cabinet, which includes the chief minister allowed for Himachal, one seat has been lying vacant since March, 2010 when JP Nadda resigned as forest minister to join party president Nitin Gadkari team at Delhi
In the backdrop of reshuffling of BJP ministers in Punjab, performance of ministers in the hill state too has come under scrutiny. Party insiders claim that beyond induction of a lone cabinet minister, possibility of one or two minister being dropped to accommodate new members was also there.
As Editor, Ravinder Makhaik leads the team of media professionals at Hill Post.
In a career spanning over two decades through all formats of journalism in Electronic, Print and Online Media, he brings with him enough experience to steer this platform. He lives in Shimla.
