Friday, 22 November 2024
Friday, 22 November 2024
The Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh caught in a political controversy that is uniquely Indian, over a snack that is not uniquely Indian.
The samosa, it is believed, evolved in the Middle East and apparently it is referred to as sambosa in Tarikh-e Beyhaghi, a book by Iranian historian Abolfazl Beyhaqi. Travellers preferred the snack as it was easy to carry, he wrote. A variation of the snack is still called sambusak in Arab countries,
Now, the same samosa is a hot topic in Himachal’s politics.
It all began on October 21. Three boxes of the refreshments were brought from Hotel Radisson Blue to be served to Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, who had gone to the CID headquarters in Shimla to attend a function.
The eatables were instead served to the CM’s security staff. And from there, the events that have followed have made the samosa a hot potato in Himachal.
An inquiry was conducted – by a deputy SP-rank officer, no less – into why the three boxes were not served to the CM.
The report, according to PTI reports, stated that an officer of IG rank had asked a sub-inspector of police to get some eatables from the hotel for the CM's visit. The SI in turn directed an assistant SI and a head constable to bring the refreshments. The ASI and the head constable fetched the refreshments from the hotel in three sealed boxes and informed the SI.
The police officers in their statement said when they asked the tourism department staff on duty whether the snacks in the three boxes were to be served to the chief minister, they said they were not included in the menu.
The inquiry report said only the said SI, who deputed the ASI and the head constable with the task of getting the snacks from the hotel, was aware of the fact that the three boxes were for Sukhu.
The lady inspector to whom the food items were handed over apparently did not ask any senior officer and sent the refreshments to the mechanical transport section, which deals with refreshments.
The three boxes of refreshments exchanged several hands in the process.
PTI reported that a highly placed official in the CID department wrote in his noting that all persons named in the inquiry report have acted in anti-CID and anti-government manner due to which the items could not be served to the VVIPs.
They acted according to their own agenda, the note added.
On Friday, a day after a goof-up over serving snacks to Sukhu snowballed into a major controversy, Himachal BJP chief Satpal Satti said the Congress-led state government has become a "laughing stock" for ordering an "inquiry into samosas".
"The police should focus on the many scandals, from the CM’s office to the secretariat, instead of wasting their time on petty matters," Satti said.
"It is surprising to hold an inquiry into such a small issue and then term the mistake as anti-government. I feel the Congress government is not bothered about the people, as their main concern is how samosas are being served at their functions. This government has totally failed and become a laughing stock," Satti said.
The media adviser to the chief minister, Naresh Chauhan, claimed the state government did not order any inquiry and it could be an internal matter of the CID.
"The incident has nothing to do with the government. Some people are hatching a conspiracy to show the government in a bad light. The BJP should behave like a responsible opposition," Chauhan said.
CID director General Ranjhan Ojha told PTI it was an internal matter: "The chief minister was the chief guest at the launch of a data centre for the cybercrime wing. After the event, the officials were having tea in the office when someone asked where were the eatables brought for the function and we said, 'pata karo kya hua' [find out what happened]."
Ojha added: "Neither have we issued any notice nor have we called for any explanation. The matter should not be politicised. We simply asked for clarification as to what happened, and a written report was submitted. We have no intention of taking action against anyone.”
The BJP was not in any mood to let go of the barbs. The party’s chief spokesperson Randhir Sharma said in a statement, “The state government is not concerned with the development of Himachal Pradesh. Its sole focus seems to be 'chief minister’s samosa'. This incident highlights a lack of coordination between the officials and employees, as well as negligence on their part.”
Another BJP spokesperson, Chetan Bragata, said in a video statement that an "inquiry into samosas" shows the "misplaced priorities" of the state government, especially at a time when the general public is grappling with several pressing issues.
"Developmental works have come to standstill in the past two years and the chief minister should pay attention to them and not such petty things," Bhagata said.
Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Jai Ram Thakur also put out a video statement, asking: "The Opposition has not eaten those samosas, those who were served those samosas were a part of the government, so how could the act be anti-government?"
We have only one question. Whoever ate the samosas, will they be charged with destruction of evidence?
