Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu
The year 2024 was the first year for the Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu government of Himachal Pradesh, but everything was not positive as the ruling party lost the Rajya Sabha elections, communal tension spread in Shimla, although the state assembly got the MLA couple as Chief Minister Sukhu’s wife Kamlesh Dehra won the by-election. Some interesting stories also happened in the passing year.
The ‘samosa’ stuck in the throat of the state government and a CID investigation was started. The endangered ‘Jungle Murga’ also found a place in the discussion. Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut was elected to the Lok Sabha from Mandi constituency. The Himachal Pradesh High Court ordered the attachment of Himachal Pradesh Bhawan in Delhi after the government failed to pay dues of Rs 150 crore to a hydropower company.
Abhishek Manu Singhvi lost Rajya Sabha elections due to ‘cross-voting’
In February, Congress candidate Abhishek Manu Singhvi lost the Rajya Sabha elections due to ‘cross-voting’ by 6 MLAs of the ruling party. This was the first time that a ruling party lost the Rajya Sabha elections despite having a majority. Six Congress MLAs were disqualified by the Assembly Speaker under the anti-defection law for violating the party whip and remaining absent during voting on the annual budget.
Assembly by-elections were held in June to fill the seats left vacant after the disqualification of Congress rebels. Congress retained four out of six seats. Three independent MLAs had also submitted their resignations on March 23, but the Assembly Speaker accepted them on June 3. By-elections were held in July to fill three seats, of which the Congress won two. One of the winning candidates was Chief Minister Sukhu’s wife Kamlesh. With this, Himachal Pradesh Assembly got its first pair of MLAs. The Congress’ strength in the state’s 68-member Assembly dropped back to 40, which is the number of seats it will win in the 2022 assembly elections. BJP’s numbers increased from 25 to 28.
Sanjauli Masjid controversy
Violence had broken out in Shimla in September when some locals demanded demolition of an ‘illegal’ portion of a mosque in Sanjauli area. On September 11, protesters clashed with security personnel, breaking barricades and pelting stones. Police used water cannon and batons to disperse them. Around 10 people, including police and women, were injured in the state’s first communal violence. The mosque committee has agreed to demolish the unauthorized floors and the work is in progress.
65 people died in cloud burst incidents
Cloudbursts and landslides claimed many lives in the state between June 27 and October 2. A total of 65 people died in cloudburst incidents. The deadliest cloudburst incident occurred on the night of July 31, when 55 people, including school children, were killed in Shimla, Kullu and Mandi districts. Himachal Pradesh witnessed its third driest ‘post-monsoon season’ since 1901, with rainfall deficit of 98 per cent. Shimla received two spells of light snowfall in December after a gap of 10 years.
Order to confiscate Himachal Bhawan
The state’s financial troubles led to delays in payment of salaries and pensions to government employees and pensioners. In a blow to the government, the High Court in November ordered the attachment of Himachal Bhawan in Mandi House, Delhi, to recover Rs 150 crore owed by the government to Seli Hydropower Electrical Company. A few days later, a single bench of the High Court ordered the closure of 18 loss-making units of the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation. However, the order was stayed by a division bench. Amidst all this, the Sukhu government was accused of financial mismanagement and pushing the state into debt. Soon after winning the assembly by-elections, the government took several steps like cutting subsidies on water and electricity, increasing GST on diesel and imposing cess on milk to raise revenue.
Politics entangled in samosas
The strange case of ‘missing samosa’ has irked Himachal Pradesh Police, triggering a political controversy and a flood of ‘memes’ on social media. Three boxes of samosas and cakes, which were meant to be served to Sukhu, were served to his security staff at a function on October 21 at the CID headquarters. The controversy started from here. The CID began investigating the case, terming the incident as ‘anti-government’. The BJP criticized the government and raised questions on its priorities.
After samosas, ruckus over wild chicken
Sukhu and his food made headlines again in December, when a video showed him allegedly encouraging his colleagues to eat ‘jungli murga’ (grey wild cock) during a dinner in a remote area of Shimla Was. However, the Chief Minister had denied this allegation. In this case, an FIR has been registered against unknown persons on charges of defamation and spreading false news. Raising the issue, the BJP claimed that ‘jungle murga’ is an endangered species listed under Schedule One of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act, 2022 and it is illegal to hunt or eat it.
Policy for recruitment of guest teachers
The policy of recruiting guest teachers on hourly basis has raised eyebrows among unemployed youth, political parties and academicians. Calling it a temporary arrangement, the state government said it is recruiting 15,000 teachers in various categories in the education department and more than 3,000 have already been appointed. The state assembly, on December 20, passed the Himachal Pradesh Land Holdings Ceiling (Amendment) Bill, 2024, allowing the government to transfer land or structure for religious, spiritual or charitable purposes subject to a maximum limit of 30 acres. (with language inputs)
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