Dharamshala, (Kangra/Himachal Pradesh), 28 November, Thursday
Kumud Sharma, Diary Times: In a fresh round of political rhetoric, Chander Kumar, the Minister for Agriculture and Animal Husbandry in Himachal Pradesh, has lashed out at former Chief Minister Shanta Kumar for his failure to push for the establishment of the North campus of the Central University of Himachal Pradesh (CUHP) in Dharamshala during the previous Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government.
A Missed Opportunity for CUHP’s North Campus
Speaking to The Tribune, Chander Kumar highlighted that Shanta Kumar’s recent claims regarding the delay in the North campus project — which he attributed to the state’s failure to deposit Rs 30 crore for the forest land transfer — were misleading. According to Kumar, the delay was not due to the state government’s inaction, but rather due to the BJP’s own internal struggles during its tenure.
Chander Kumar emphasized that despite being in power, Shanta Kumar did not take any steps to resolve the issues surrounding the project, particularly the challenges related to forest land clearance. During the BJP regime, Union Minister Anurag Thakur, a key political figure in the state, had reportedly created significant hurdles in securing the necessary forest clearance for the Dharamshala campus. In contrast, Thakur had successfully facilitated forest clearances for the CUHP’s South campus in Dehra.
BJP’s Inaction and Shanta Kumar’s Silence
The Congress Minister pointed out that while Shanta Kumar has now started raising the issue, he had remained conspicuously silent when the BJP was in power. This, according to Chander Kumar, is an attempt to deflect blame on the Congress government, which took charge only recently, for a matter that was years in the making under the previous regime.
“It is only now, when the Congress has taken the reins, that Shanta Kumar is speaking out on the issue. He failed to take any action when he had the chance to address these problems,” Kumar remarked. He further stressed that the responsibility for the delays and obstacles in the CUHP North campus project lay squarely on the shoulders of the previous BJP government and their lack of coordination in resolving such crucial matters.
The Bigger Picture: Educational Development Under UPA-II
Chander Kumar also took the opportunity to highlight the significant educational projects that were sanctioned under the UPA-II government, including the CUHP in Kangra, IIT in Mandi, and IIM in Sirmaur. According to him, these projects were part of a larger vision of educational development in the state, which had been endorsed and facilitated by the Congress-led UPA government.
Kumar noted that the BJP had not prioritized educational development in the state and had failed to bring these projects to fruition during its term. The Congress Minister claimed that the BJP government was more focused on political squabbles than addressing the needs of the people, particularly in the field of education.
Political Blame Games Continue
As the political blame game continues, the issue of the CUHP North campus has become a point of contention between the ruling Congress and the opposition BJP. Chander Kumar’s comments come as part of an ongoing effort by the Congress to highlight the BJP’s inefficiency in managing key development projects during its tenure. On the other hand, Shanta Kumar and other BJP leaders are likely to continue pressing their claims about the delays, seeking to pin the blame on the current government.
The debate over the North campus of CUHP underscores a larger issue in state politics — the struggle for credit over development projects. While both parties acknowledge the importance of such initiatives for the state’s growth, their differing political strategies and past failures continue to create friction.
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