Himachal Pradesh: 2 ministers walk out of cabinet meeting amid political drama

The Himachal Pradesh cabinet meeting on Saturday, 2nd March, witnessed high drama as Minister of Horticulture, Revenue and Tribal Minister Jagat Singh Negi, and Education Minister Rohit Thakur left in the middle of the meeting over policy decisions following a heated debate. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu presided over the meeting, which Jagat Negi stated began at approximately 12.30 pm rather than the planned 11 am and conflicted with another appointment he had. According to the sources, the purpose of the meeting, the second ministerial session in three days, was to address the building dissatisfaction among ministers concerning Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s leadership. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu is a liar: Rebel Congress MLA Rajinder Rana, a rebel Himachal Pradesh Congress MLA, stated earlier in the day that nine other party legislators were in contact with them because they too were “feeling suffocated” by the Chief Minister’s style of functioning. Accusing that the Chief Minister was attempting to distort the truth, Rana referred to Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu as “liar number one.” Rajinder Rana noted, “Neither Public Works Department Minister Vikramaditya Singh had told the Chief Minister that he is meeting the Congress rebels at Panchkula nor the CM had sent him.