Dhwala, Bragta, Bindal skip meet

Shimla, July 31

The first meeting of the Himachal BJP Legislature Party after the induction of three ministers left a sour taste as three senior party leaders and strong contenders for Cabinet berths skipped the meeting.

The party played down the development and maintained that they could not attend the meeting due to personal reasons but it is seen as a sign of brewing discontent among members.

The three leaders, Romesh Dhwala, Narinder Bragta and Dr Rajeev Bindal are former ministers who were not inducted in the Cabinet when the BJP came to power in December 2017.

While Bindal was made Speaker of the state assembly, Bragta was appointed chief whip of the party with Cabinet rank and Dhawala was appointed deputy chairman of State Planning Board with Cabinet rank. Bindal resigned from the post of Speaker to take over as the state party chief but quit the post after four months in the wake of the PPE kits purchase scam.

With filling of all 12 posts in the Cabinet, the aspirants for Cabinet berths are unhappy as their fate has been sealed. The meeting discussed situation arising out of Covid 19 pandemic and decided to take on aggressively on Congress opposition, targeting the government for inept handling of the situation. — TNS