Shimla: The Congress government in Himachal Pradesh has appointed senior civil service officer Ram Subhag Singh, who retired Monday, as principal adviser to Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu for a period of one year.
The 1987-batch IAS officer has been tasked with advising the chief minister on power department-related matters and mechanisms to enhance the state’s dairy output.
Within hours of Singh’s appointment, an old video surfaced on social media showing Sukhu making allegations against the IAS officer in the Vidhan Sabha to target the previous Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government.
Referring to the time Sukhu asked the then chief minister Jairam Thakur to explain the reason for Ram Subhag Singh’s ouster as chief secretary, Himachal Pradesh BJP general secretary Trilok Kapoor told ThePrint, “Now, the people of Himachal Pradesh are asking you (Sukhu) to explain your compulsion to re-employ him (Singh) as your principal adviser.”
“Re-employment for one year is a strange decision. There was a buzz that he (Singh) could be appointed chairman of the state Investment Bureau,” a senior civil servant said.
A minister in the Sukhu government who did not wish to be named, added, “The Congress, when in opposition, attacked the Jairam government over allegations of corruption against Ram Subhag Singh. What will we gain out of this appointment (as special adviser) now? Jairam Thakur made him the chief secretary with high hopes, but had to eventually do away with him.”
ThePrint reached Ram Subhag Singh via calls for comment, but they went unanswered.
Asked about Singh’s appointment during a press conference in Shimla, horticulture minister Jagat Singh Negi said Tuesday that he was unaware about the issue since he was busy with relief and restoration work being carried out following heavy rains in parts of the state.
‘What happened to Rs 4 cr flat?’
Ram Subhag Singh was appointed chief secretary by the previous BJP government on 5 August, 2021, replacing 1986-batch IAS officer Anil Kumar Khachi, who is now the state election commissioner.
However, Singh’s tenure as chief secretary lasted only for 11 months since he was replaced by 1988-batch IAS officer R.D. Dhiman on 11 July, 2022.
Dhiman superseded Singh and two other IAS officers. The three officers were made principal advisers to then chief minister Jairam Thakur of the BJP.
While participating in the discussion on a motion of no-confidence brought against the then BJP government during the monsoon session of the state assembly on 11 August, 2022, Sukhu had attacked the ruling dispensation over the circumstances surrounding Singh’s ouster as chief secretary.
“There is nothing called honesty in this government. A new chief secretary has been appointed. The PMO sent a letter to the chief minister, alleging corruption by the former chief secretary (Singh). CM sat on this letter for three months, was summoned to Delhi and asked why no action had been taken so far. I can even tell the date, I was also in Delhi. The next day, we got news that the chief secretary had been replaced,” Sukhu said.
The Congress leader also asked then chief minister Jairam Thakur to explain the circumstances surrounding Singh’s removal as chief secretary.
“Why was he (Singh) removed? CM sahab, you have to answer. If you don’t, we have an answer. There was a complaint against him (Singh). There is a cement company who wants to install a cement plant in Chamba. And your chief secretary (Singh) asked for a flat in the name of his son’s father-in-law in Mumbai, if the company was willing to set up the cement plant.
“It (the flat) was worth Rs 4 crore and when the PMO inquired about this flat, the chief minister was left helpless and had to remove the chief secretary. How can this government have the trust of the public?”
Soon after Sukhu assumed office as chief minister in December last year, Dhiman retired as the chief secretary and was replaced by 1990-batch IAS officer Prabodh Saxena.
While Dhiman was appointed as the state’s chief information officer, Singh was made a special chief secretary and Sanjay Gupta — another fellow adviser — was appointed CMD of the state-owned Himachal Pradesh Ropeway & Rapid Transport System Development Corporation (RTDC). In addition, Gupta was also made chairman of the state pollution control board.
Sukhu’s decision to bring Singh back to the mainstream civil services setup came as a surprise for many. A few months later, Singh resigned as special chief secretary but remained in his post as principal advisor to the chief minister and chairman of the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board.
On 24 July this year, the HPSEB employees’ union in a letter urged CM Sukhu not to grant an extension to Singh, alleging that the state electricity board suffered losses due to mismanagement during his tenure as chairman.
BJP’s Kapoor emphasised that his party’s government removed Singh from the post of chief secretary and Sukhu had made allegations against the IAS officer on the floor of the House. “He (Sukhu) spoke about corruption charges, favours from a cement company. Everything is in the public domain now… What happened to your allegations? The Rs 4 crore flat?”
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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