Himachal Pradesh gets first ever Deputy CM
Shimla, Dec 11: Himachal Pradesh got its first ever Deputy Chief Minister on Sunday, when Mukesh Agnihotri was inducted in the cabinet.
Apparently, the move was taken by Congress to accommodate Agnihotri the leader of the opposition in the outgoing assembly who was one of the stronger candidates for the Chief Minister's post.
Since the party came to power in the state earlier in the week, several factions have asserted their claims to the top post.
The party has been quick on its heels to assuage bruised egos and prevent factionalism to threaten the newly-formed government.
However, such dissensions in the party are not new.
In 1967, dissidents threatened to topple the government headed by then chief minister Dr YS Parmar and support a no-confidence motion moved by the Opposition.
Hectic activity was witnessed in the Vidhan Sabha and three senior Congress MLAs Thakur Karam Singh, Pt Padam Dev, and Vidya Dhar were closeted with Chief Minister to prevent them from throwing their lot with the opposition. When the three leaders returned to the house they opposed the no-confidence motion.
As per the bargain, Karam Singh and Pt Padam Dev had then been inducted as cabinet ministers and Vidya Dhar as deputy minister but still no deputy chief minister was appointed.
Again in 1993, when the Congress got 56 out of 68 seats, the party was sharply divided into Virbhadra Singh and Sukh Ram groups, with finally Virbhadra Singh chosen as leader and Anil Sharma, son of Sukh Ram, inducted into cabinet. But again no deputy chief minister was appointed.
In the present government, which would be expanded in the near future, both, the CM and Deputy CM, are from Hamirpur Parliamentary constituency, represented by BJP leader Anurag Thakur, the Union minister for Information and Broadcasting and Sports and Youth Services.
The party has also taken caste factor into consideration going with Sukhu, a Rajput, and Agnihotri, who is a Brahmin.
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Bengal: Hundreds stage protest over 'threats' by TMC workers
Kolkata (PTI): Demanding safety after counting of votes, hundreds of villagers staged a protest in Falta in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district on Saturday, alleging they were receiving life threats from TMC workers in the area.
The protesters, many of them women and holding BJP flags, blocked the road in Hasimnagar village, alleging that local panchayat pradhan Israfil, a close associate of TMC candidate Jehangir Khan, issued them threats of attacks after poll results are announced.
The CRPF deputy commandant visited the area with a large force and assured the demonstrators of ensuring their safety.
Khan dismissed the allegations and said the women were "deployed" by the BJP to stage the demonstration and engineer the arrest of TMC functionaries in the area before the counting to "harm the morale of the TMC supporters".
"If the charges are proved, I am ready to face the law," he said.
Fatima Bibi, one of the protesters belonging to the BJP's Mahila Morcha, claimed Israfil and his men "have been visiting the area since April 30 and threatening us that there would be bloodshed from May 5. We demand CRPF remain in the area".
The CRPF official said, "We are here to instill confidence among the people with support of the local police, We have assured them of full security."
An Election Commission official said a report has been sought about the protests from the district administration.
