By accepting resignation of Himachal Pradesh BJP unit head, Dr Rajiv Bidal, the national BJP president JP Nadda sent out a clear-cut signal – even a hint of corruption will not be tolerated to taint the image of the party and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

And now this signal has sent alarm bells ringing in the corridors of power in the state as even Chief Minister and Ministers fear the worst if any corruption allegations were to surface, at any time.

Nadda’s swift action pre-empted any scope for manipulation. To a long-time Sangh Parivar watcher like me, it is crystal clear that Nadda’s move had the backing of Nagpur headquarters.

The BJP, for now, has averted a potential crisis that could emanate from alleged scams in health department, that is held by the Chief Minister, Jai Ram Thakur. It may be recalled that last year, an anonymous letter controversy pertaining to alleged irregularities in purchase of Rs Thirty crore worth medicines engulfed the government. This led to the high command shunting out of Vipin Parmar from the ministry.

But BJP is in turmoil in state’s biggest district Kangra which has plunged into crisis after open confrontation between Dhumal group and MLAs owing allegiance to chief minister, Jai Ram Thakur . Political observers opine that re-grouping of former chief minister, Prof Dhumal has started and their number is on higher side in state assembly which may create problems for CM especially when they are feeling side-lined during past more than two year’s regime of their party.

Initially, some of the anti CM leaders including BJP MP from Kangra, Kishan Kapoor, former cabinet ministers Ravinder Ravi and Ramesh Dhawla etc held secret parleys to chalk out strategy to take advantage of two scams of purchase of PPEs kits, masks and sanitizers in health department . It has already taken the scalp of state BJP president but these leaders are gunning for CM who holds the portfolio of health hence responsibility lies on his head.

In retaliation, CM loyalists including ten MLAs have demanded disciplinary action against these leaders and accused them of hatching conspiracy to destabilise the government. Interestingly MLAs including Rakesh Pathania, Umesh Dutt, Rina Dhiman, Vishal Nehria etc issued official statement thereby confirming the feud and open infighting which has erupted in district Kangra. They described dissenting BJP leaders as ‘REBELS’ and lambasted them for indulging in anti-party activities.

Politically, Kangra assumes a lot of significance and it was plagued earlier due to open fight between RSS leader Pawan Rana and senior BJP leader Ramesh Dhawla who were fighting for supremacy in the district and former state party president Satpal Satti had failed to check the infighting which gave jolt to the image of the organisation.

Naturally, the opposition is smelling blood and is baying for the blood of the removed state BJP chief and his involvement in the scam at a time when the state was fighting Coronavirus sparked Covid19 pandemic.

State Congress chief Kuldeep Rathore and CLP leader Mukesh Agnihotri have demanded fair probe by judge of high court in the scam in a department held by the Chief Minister and for this the CM must own up moral responsibility . Agnihotri went one step further and demanded White paper in the scams which took place in health department during past two years.

More than the opposition, former Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Shanta Kumar in a letter to Nadda expressed great anguish and pain over the scam and demanded inquiry into the whole affair which involved purchase of PPEs , Masks , Sanitizers etc.

The current crisis gripping the government unfolded in public domain with the release of an audio of exchange of conversation between the then health director Dr Ajay Gupta and BJP functionary containing references to bribes for purchase of medicines, went viral.

Chief Minister has assured of an independent inquiry and that no guilty person will be spared. But at the same time, taking the high moral ground, the Chief Minister lashed out at the opposition for making wild charges even though Bindal had quit owning moral responsibility.

It is perhaps for the first time that a senior state BJP leader quit over allegations of corruption, which was one of the main planks of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s election plank in 2014 and 2019 general elections. Bindal sought to convey the sentiment that he had resigned as the needle of suspicion was pointed at him.

The Director of Health, Dr Ajay Gupta, has been arrested and suspended. Court has released him on bail. Natural questions emerge as to who the person on the other end of the conversation was and what action was being taken against him. Dr Gupta’s wife has questioned the arrest and claimed he was being framed to protect the bigger and influential persons involved in the game.

Already questions are being raised about the impartiality of the proposed probe and wanted the inquiry to be expanded to cover members of the purchase committee and the concerned related to the transactions in question.
The corruption bomb hurtling towards the Chief Minister is the last thing he wants during the fight he is waging against the Cororna virus crisis.

For, now he would be under the scanner of the opposition and also the people as to how he deals with the BJP leader caught in controversy. Both the leaders do not share close relationship dating back to many years.
Ruling party circles are in a state of shock over the tough action from the high command and wonder where it could all lead to.

Incidentally, the Himachal health department has become synonym for corruption over the years, whatever be the party heading the dispensation, the Congress or the BJP.

It was no surprise when former Chief Minister Shanta Kumar stepped in with allegations of a scam in health department. Former health minister Vipin Parmar has had to be adjusted, given the caste and group considerations within the state party unit, and made the speaker of the assembly.

Interestingly, the investigations of the police focused on the source of the letter but not on the alleged culprits involved in the scam, as described by the letter of former CM.

Police zeroed in on Ravinder Ravi, former minister and a close associate of former CM, Prem Kumar Dhumal. An FIR was lodged against him, which exposed the infighting in the BJP.

Union minister of state for finance, Anurag Thakur openly supported Ravi and questioned the motive of the probe. Ravi on his party maintained that the top brass of the government in Himachal were behind ‘fixing him’.

With so much dirty linen being washed in the public, the government has come under a cloud in the eyes of the people as allegations of corruption in purchase of medicines and sanitizers likely to stick as allegations are coming from within the party.