Soon after polling was over, the Himachal Pradesh government on Tuesday decided to withdraw facilities, including free accommodation and staff, provided to former Cabinet minister Anil Sharma who resigned on April 12. Also Himachal BJP is mulling disciplinary action against the Mandi MLA for missing Prime Minister's Narendra Modi's rally in his home constituency.
The facilities included furnished accommodation, a luxury car, private secretaries, besides private security staff and peons.
Sharma resigned after purported remarks by Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur against him as he had refused to campaign against his son and Congress candidate Ashray Sharma.
He has not resigned either from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) or from the state Assembly. So he will continue to exercise facilities extended as a legislator.
"Jai Ram Thakur gave some statements against me in my constituency and I am upset. I decided to quit
from his Cabinet and submitted my resignation to his office," Sharma, who held the power portfolio, told reporters here.
The friction between the Chief Minister and Sharma surfaced when the latter's son Ashray Sharma left the BJP and rejoined the Congress along with his grandfather Sukh Ram, a former Union Telecom Minister.
Ashray Sharma is the Congress candidate from Mandi. He is pitted against the BJP's sitting MP Ram Swaroop Sharma.
Meanwhile, it is learnt that BJP's Himachal Pradesh unit may soon take action against Sharma, the Mandi MLA for not attending a rally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi held in the assembly segment earlier this month.
During the Lok Sabha election campaign, Modi had addressed a rally at Paddal Maidan in Mandi on May 10 in support of sitting BJP MP Ram Swaroop Sharma.
local MLA, Anil Sharma, whose son, Aashray, was fielded by the Congress opposite Ram Swaroop, gave the prime minister's rally a miss.
Disciplinary action will be taken against Anil Sharma after talking to the party high command, state BJP president Satpal Singh Satti said.
As far as his membership of the legislative assembly is concerned, legal opinion will be taken on that and action may be taken against him through Speaker Rajeev Bindal, he added.
Satti said as far as the party is concerned, being a legislator, Anil Sharma is a member of the BJP's state executive. It will be discussed in the disciplinary committee on his removal from the state executive for not attending our topmost leader Narendra Modi's rally held in his home constituency.
Ashray, who was eyeing BJP ticket from Mandi, joined the Congress after the saffron party decided to re-nominate Ram Swaroop.
Mandi Lok Sabha constituency is very important for the BJP as it is Thakur's home district.