Oath ceremony of HPPSC head, members cancelled

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Shimla, August 18

The oath-taking ceremony of the Chairperson and three members of the Himachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (HPPSC) scheduled for 8.30 am today at the Raj Bhawan here was cancelled at the last minute. Formal invitation from the Raj Bhawan had already been sent. Sources said that the oath ceremony was cancelled following the intervention of the party top leadership.

Meanwhile, the Congress criticised Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur for the development. There were unconfirmed reports that Dr Rachna Gupta, who was appointed Chairperson of the commission yesterday, declined to accept the post for personal reasons.

Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, chairman of the Congress Campaign Committee, in a statement issued here asked the Chief Minister to reveal the reason for the last-minute cancellation of the oath ceremony. “The Chief Minister is duty bound to reveal to the people of the state the compelling reason for this last-minute change in the plan and also if the procedure for the selection of the Chairperson and the members of the commission was followed,” he said.

Sukhu accused the government of being remote-controlled from Delhi. AICC spokesperson Alka Lamba said, “Sensing its defeat in the forthcoming Assembly elections, the BJP is trying to oblige its near and dear ones. It is now looking for reasons to justify the cancellation of the oath ceremony of the Chairperson of the commission,” she tweeted.

Alka claimed that the matter had reached the Prime Minister’s Office and murmurs of resentment against the Chief Minister in the BJP were being heard. Yesterday, the government issued the notification, appointing Rachna Gupta, a member of the commission, as its Chairperson along with three members.

Reveal reason, Sukhu asks CM

• The oath-taking ceremony was scheduled for 8.30 am today at the Raj Bhawan
• Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu asked the Chief Minister to reveal the reason for the last-minute cancellation of the oath ceremony