Sonia to address rally at Dharamshala in October, says CM

Dharamshala, Sep 13 (UNI) Congress President Sonia Gandhi will address a public meeting here in October and unveil former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's statue at Ayurveda College at Paprola on the district.

''Ms Gandhi's rally will be held here either in the first or second week of October. She will also inaugurate the former Prime Minister's statue at Rajiv Gandhi Ayurveda College at Paprola before leaving for Delhi,'' Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh told reporters here.

Mr Singh said the AICC President would again return to the state again soon to inaugurate Dr Rajender Prasad Government Medical College and Hospital at Tanda in the district.

The Chief Minister was here to review the security arrangement ahead of Ms Gandhi's one-day visit to the state in October.

Ruling out any expansion in his Cabinet and naming a deputy chief minister in the near future, Mr Singh said he was not even thinking of it at present.

''There is no question of any Cabinet expansion or naming a deputy chief minister in the near future.'' Launching a scathing attack on the BJP for its opposition to the Parent Teachers Association (PTA) scheme, he said, it was making an issue out of a non-issue.

''The PTA scheme is a stop gap arrangement to prevent loss to the studies of the students,'' he said, while denying any irregularities in the appointment of the teachers who are appointed on merit basis.'' Mr Singh, however, refused to comment on whether the government would appoint a chief parliamentary secretaries and parliamentary secretaries in the state again.

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