Jairam Thakur Has No Right to Speak on Work Culture of Himachal Pradesh Govt Officers, Says State Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh

Shimla, July 24: Jairam Thakur has no right to speak on the work culture of Himachal Pradesh government officers as he himself failed to judge their competence and replaced seven chief secretaries during his term as chief minister, Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh on Monday.

Taking a jibe at the Leader of Opposition, Singh said officers were victimised by a handful of leaders of Thakur's council of ministers. It was the first time in the history of the state that seven chief secretaries were changed during a five-year term. Himachal Pradesh Rains Forecast: IMD Predicts Heavy Rainfall From July 26 to 28, Issues Orange Alert for Seven Districts.

In a statement issued here, Singh said Thakur failed to tighten the noose around his colleagues and officers were harassed and threatened with transfers. Before making any allegations, Thakur should explain what led to the frequent change of officers during the BJP rule, he added. Singh on Saturday issued a stern warning to some officers for allegedly not heeding ministers' orders, saying he will raise the matter with the chief minister. He also cautioned them not to cross the 'Lakshman rekha'.

"We are elected by the people and officers cannot dictate terms to us … I don't want to elaborate on the issues and will take up these with Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu," Singh told reporters. Reacting to Singh's remarks, BJP leader Thakur had said there was no coordination between the chief minister and the ministers.

The former chief minister said the Congress ministers were rebelling against their own government and going to the press instead of calling the officers to their chambers. The Leader of Opposition also raised the issue of floods in the state, which has thrown life out of gear, and said if this was what the Congress government meant by "change in system". Himachal Pradesh: Chamba DDMA Issues Advisory Amid Rain Warning.

In his response, Singh said the Congress dispensation has ensured "security of tenure" to the officers. After assuming power, the Congress neither changed the officials in the districts nor removed the officers holding key posts. The Congress government does not believe in vendetta politics and realises that the officers and the employees play an important role in the development of the state, he said in the statement.

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