Haryana Government is likely to revoke the status of cabinet rank given to former Chief Ministers of the State, a decision taken during the tenure of previous Congress regime.
The BJP led State Government is likely to bring a proposal in this regard in the Cabinet soon.
If the State Government goes ahead with the proposal, former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda would be the lone ex-CM to be affected from the decision. Another former chief minister Om Prakash Chautala is serving a ten year sentence in Delhi's Tihar jail in connection with the Teachers' recruitment scam so this order does not apply to him.
At present, only Hooda is enjoying this privilege and is entitled to have a government residence along with other facilities of government vehicle and staff in Chandigarh. If the status of cabinet rank is revoked, he would only be entitled to the facilities given to an MlA in the state.
Sources said that a number of BJP leaders have expressed their displeasure over the cabinet rank given to Hooda for being former Chief Minister of the state. Following the allegations of Hooda’s connection with accused in riots during Jat reservation stir, BJP leaders have demanded to revoke the provision of cabinet rank given to former Chief Ministers in the state as Hooda is the lone ex-CM enjoying this privilege.
Apart from BJP leaders, the main opposition Indian National lok Dal also wants withdrawal of cabinet rank given to Hooda. The leader of opposition in Haryana Assembly and senior INlD leader Abhay Singh Chautala has written to Chief Minister Manohar lal demanding to reverse the decision that was taken by previous Hooda Government.
It was during his tenure as Chief Minister when Hooda had taken the decision to give cabinet rank to the former Chief Ministers of the state. Hooda has served as Chief Minister of Haryana for 2004 to 2014.
In a letter written to Chief Minister on Thursday, Abhay Singh Chautala has said, “During the final stretch of his tenure as Chief Minister of Haryana, the former CM Bhupinder Hooda had blatantly misused state power in deciding that all former Chief Ministers be allotted government residences along with other facilities of government vehicle and staff in Chandigarh, the capital of Haryana.”
“It was a decision taken at a time when it was clear as daylight that the Congress would be ousted from power by the discerning people if Haryana. Reading the writing on the wall, Hooda had planned a post-Chief Ministerial life in Chandigarh, a city he had got used to during his tenure of ten years,” Chautala alleged in the letter.
Chautala went onto say that considering the alleged role of Hooda in aiding rioters during Jat quota stir, he does not deserve the cabinet rank.
“It is the considered opinion of Indian National lok Dal (INlD) that by allotting government accommodation to former Chief Ministers, particularly to Bhupinder Singh Hooda, the state exchequer is being unnecessarily burdened. Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s alleged role of aiding and abetting unruly and disruptive elements involved in loot and arson incidents etc in the recent reservation agitation is well known to the people of the state. He, therefore does not deserve to be allotted any government residence equivalent to the rank of a Cabinet Minister,” the letter stated.