Rumours rife about ministerial appointments of Cong leaders

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, January 28

Since this morning rumours have been doing rounds of the secretariat about the possibility of Chief Minister Harish Rawat appointing Congress leaders to the ministerial-rank posts lying vacant in the state corporations, commissions and board committees.

As the rumours gained ground several prospective Congress leaders sent their feelers to gauge the situation from the state secretariat. Some of the leaders were of the opinion that at least seven appointments would be made but the Department of Finance was holdingthe files.

By evening, the rumours settled down to plain grumbling among the Congress leaders who started blaming the chief minister for making them wait endlessly.

Since the Congress government came to power in the state in 2012, the Congress has been mounting pressure on the CM to adjust party leaders in the government.

While former Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna managed to appoint five MLAs from the Harish Rawat camp as parliamentary secretaries, he continued to thwart attempts to make more appointments. On the other hand the present Chief Minister Harish Rawat bestowed Cabinet rank to 10 MLAs soon after his elevation as chief minister last year and again in May, soon after the BJP’s victory in the Lok Sabha elections in 2014 two more MLAs were made chairpersons of government councils. Besides he has also nominated seven Congress MLAs as parliamentary secretaries.

However, there are several commissions, boards and committees that are headless and the Congress leaders are eyeing these posts.