Himachal govt plans to punish employees who publicly challenged minister Dharmani, privilege motion brought in Assembly
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The Himachal Pradesh government has initiated action against Secretariat employees who criticised the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu government and its ministers, following a series of contentious statements.
Technical Education Minister Rajesh Dharmani has issued a privilege motion notice in the Vidhn Sabha against five employees for their outspoken remarks against the government.
The affected employees include Sanjeev Sharma, president of the Himachal Pradesh Secretariat Services Organisation; Kamal Kishore Sharma, general secretary of the Secretariat Employees Federation; Tekram, president of the Secretariat Class IV Employees Organisation; Amar Kumar, president of the drivers’ union, and Bodhraj Chandel, president of the PA-PS Association. The privilege motion notice has led to the commencement of proceedings by the Assembly Secretariat.
The Assembly’s monsoon session is ongoing, with sessions scheduled for Monday (September 9, 2024) and Tuesday. If found guilty, swift action could be initiated against the employees.
The controversy began when Secretariat employees publicly criticised ministers during a general meeting held on August 21. The employees specifically named Dharmani in their criticism. They had protested demanding an increase in dearness allowance and arrears for revised pay scales, questioning government expenditure on office budgets, telephone allowances for ministers and hospitality expenses.
The employees’ statements were broadcast on social media, escalating tensions between the government and the employees. Following these statements, the government issued a show-cause notice on August 28, to which the employees have already responded. The privilege motion notice in the Assembly marks a further escalation in the matter.
In a related development, a privilege motion notice has also been served against Bilaspur’s Superintendent of Police (SP) Ilma Afroz. Chief Parliamentary Secretary Ramkumar Chaudhary has accused Afroz of conducting surveillance without authorisation. The government’s stringent response underscores its commitment to addressing what it perceives as insubordination and ensuring that criticism by employees remains within acceptable bounds.
