Ram Singh’s appointment a blow to Maheshwar Singh

Dipender Manta

Tribune News Service

Mandi, October 18

Appointment of his strong opponent Ram Singh to the plum post in the Himachal Government is being seen as a big blow to senior BJP leader Maheshwar Singh in Kullu district. Ram Singh has been appointed vice chairperson of the Horticulture Produce Marketing Committee.

The government appointed one chairperson and nine vice-hairpersons of boards and corporations ahead of Dasehra festival on Wednesday, ending the long wait for the coveted posts. Maheshwar Singh himself was expecting the plum post in the BJP government. He had merged his Himachal Lokhit Party with the BJP just before the Assembly elections in the state. There was a rivalry between Maheshawar Singh, scion of Kullu royal family and Ram Singh for the BJP ticket for Assembly election, last year. However, the party ticket went to Maheshwar Singh and he lost to Congress candidate Sunder Singh Thakur because of the alleged backstabbing within the party.

The recent BJP move is being viewed as an attempt to shift power centre from Kullu royal family to strong RSS cadre candidate Ram Singh in Kullu, who has a strong connect with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. When Modi was the BJP in charge of Himachal, Ram Singh had worked with him.

At present, Ram Singh is general secretary of party affairs of Mandi constituency.

Maheshwar Singh said, “It is the decision of the party whom to give plum posts. It is for the high command to decide whether they prefer those who work honestly or those who are backstabbers.” Ram Singh, vice-chairman of HPMC, said “I am thankful to Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, who relied on me and gave me this responsibility. My thrust will be to benefit the horticulturists of the state.”