HPCC asks govt to refrain from making contradictory statements

Shimla, Feb 17 (PTI) Himachal Pradesh Congress Committeepresident Kaul Singh Thakur today asked the state governmentto refrain from making "contradictory" statements on sensitiveissues as the divergent views expressed by Chief SecretaryRajwant Sandhu and Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal on theissue of giving "clean chit" to Karmapa had made thegovernment an "object of ridicule".

Addressing a press conference here, he said while thechief secretary gave a clean chit to Karmapa on the issue offoreign currency, the chief minister said that no clean chithad been given and investigations were in progress, which didnot send the right signals about cohesive functioning of thegovernment.

Hailing the government''s decision to vest the benami landof Gyuto Monastery at Sidhbari, transit home of Karmapa, tothe government, Singh said same parameters should be appliedin case of all benami land deals and action should be takenagainst the influential persons involved in these illegal landtransactions.

The names of politicians and bureaucrats involved inbenami transactions should also be made public, he demanded.

The PCC chief said he regretted that land, forest andmining mafias were active in the state and land was beinggiven to non-residents of the state at throwaway prices.

Demanding that private universities should not be allowedto attach private colleges, he said it would dent the revenueof the state''s government university.

Accusing the state government of renaming a Centrallysponsored scheme and taking credit for the scheme, he allegedthat the government was misusing Central funds under the RuralHealth Mission and MNREGA.