The Cabinet Ministers may not like it but they will have to do without their cell phones in the meetings of the Himachal Pradesh Cabinet from now on.
Apprehending leakage of crucial information from the State Cabinet meetings, Himachal Pradesh Ministers were on Thursday morning asked not to take cell phones or any other electronic devices into the meeting scheduled to be held in the afternoon.
The move comes after Chief Minister Office (CMO) got some information from ‘reliable’ sources that some disgruntled Cabinet Ministers of Virbhadra Singh Government were in touch with Opposition leaders and may possibly have leaked crucial information of the Cabinet discussions held behind close doors.
A circular in this regard was issued by officiating chief secretary Partho Mitra, which was hurriedly sent to all the Cabinet Ministers and senior bureaucrats, who attend the meeting. Mitra requested the Cabinet Ministers to refrain from taking cell phone or any electronic device into the Cabinet meet.
“The CM Virbhadra Singh has always been wary of some of his Cabinet Ministers, when it comes to taking important decisions as only select members of the coterie are in the know of the things,” a source said. A few weeks ago when the Cabinet decided to cancel the lease of Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association, headed by BJP MP and former
Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal’s son Anurag Thakur, Virbhadra Singh had kept all Cabinet Ministers waiting in a hall till late night when police were given final marching orders to take control of HPCA properties in the State.
Commenting on the new circular, a Cabinet Minister on condition of anonymity said this was wrong and Ministers were being treated like school students. “Their privilege of being Cabinet Minister should be respected and the CM should have asked the Ministers directly instead of taking the circular route, which is embarrassing,” he stated.
The MlAs, MPs, Cabinet Ministers are allowed to take their cell phones into the Assembly proceedings or in Parliament and even in Union
Cabinet meetings chaired by Prime Minister.