Himachal Pradesh Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh on June 21 decried the attempts to give a regional tinge to the conflict between the taxi operators of Shimla and Sirmaur districts, saying that regionalism would not be tolerated in the State. The Minister made the remark a day after the Sirmaur Taxi Union accused Rural Development Minister Anirudh Singh of regional bias and demanded his resignation.
“Our Chief Minister and government are of the clear view that regionalism will not be tolerated in the State as all regions of the State are considered as a single identity,” Mr. Singh had said on June 20.
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"Our government is committed to providing employment opportunities to people of all regions," he had added.
In a two-minute video released here, he said that the government supported people of all sections, religions, castes or regions and the Deputy Commissioner (DC) and Superintendent of Police (SP) would soon find some amicable solution by taking all the concerned parties into confidence.
Members of the Sirmaur Taxi Union staged a protest outside the DC’s office on June 20, accusing the Rural Development Minister of being biased after he said that guides from the Sirmaur district working in Shimla would be removed. The Taxi Union members of both regions had a kerfuffle last week over an ongoing dispute on fares.
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While trying to pacify the Taxi Union, Mr. Anirudh Singh on June 19 said that all those involved in the scuffle would be arrested, adding that the guides from Sirmaur who approached tourist vehicles in Shimla town would be removed.
The Sirmaur Taxi Union staged a protest against the Minister's statement, saying that Mr. Anirudh Singh is a Minister of the entire state and not just Shimla. Politics of bias towards a district will not be tolerated, they added. Lending support to the protest, Leader of Opposition (LoP) Jai Ram Thakur issued a statement saying Mr. Anirudh Singh's statement was an attack on the federal structure and was aimed at breaking the state.
