Kapoor, Sarveen spar over postings in Dharamsala

Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, April 18

Minister for Food and Civil Supplies Kishan Kapoor and Minister for Town and Country Planning Sarveen Chaudhary on Wednesday sparred at the Gaggal Airport. Sources told The Tribune that both ministers had gone to airport to receive Union Minister for Health JP Nadda.

There were heated exchanges between the ministers over some transfers in Dharamsala that attracted the attention of many present there, including the staff of airline companies.

Sources here said that Kishan Kapoor, who represents Dharamsala, was sore over certain postings in the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Department in his area. Kapoor took up the issue of transfers and postings of certain officers in Dharamsala with Sarveen Chaudhary. The TCP Minister reacted to the allegations from Kapoor which led to loud altercations between both ministers. Sources said Kapoor severely reprimanded Chaudhary for interfering in the constituencies of other MLAs and ministers in Kangra district. Reports say that Nadda had to intervene to stop heated exchanges between both ministers.

The sources said that some other MLAs were also sore at not being taken into confidence in their Assembly constituencies in transfers and postings in their areas, especially in local bodies departments.

Chaudhary, when contacted on phone, tried to play down the controversy. She said that a local BJP leader of Shahpur Karnik Padha was spreading lies regarding her verbal duel with Kishan Kapoor.

When asked if Kapoor was sore with her over postings of certain officers in Dharamsala, Chaudhary said, “I am not ordering any transfers. If Kapoor was feeling that some officers close to Congress leaders were being posted in Dharamsala these transfers might be happening from some other quarters (indicating that some bureaucrats were influencing transfers)”.

Kishan Kapoor, when contacted, said certain officials who were close to former Congress minister from Dharamsala Sudhir Sharma were still finding favour with the present government. They had been given plum postings. The local BJP MLAs and ministers in Kangra district should be taken into confidence with postings of officers in their respective areas, he said.