Samosa politics
On October 21, CM Sukhu attended an event of state CID officials at a hotel in Shimla
Samosas meant for the CM came in packets
However, the samosas were served to his security staff
This created a flutter in the state CID; sources said a probe was ordered
BJP targeted Cong govt for giving attention to non-issues
CID dismisses charges
CHANDIGARH: Trust the fluffy Samosas! If left in the wrong hands, they can turn into real hot potatoes. It so happened that some of the samosas were kept for Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu during a function associated with the state Crime Investigation Department (CID) on October 21. They were, instead, served to his security staff!
Over a fortnight later, the hotchpotch over who they were meant for left an unsavoury taste for cops on duty. A probe by the state Crime Investigation Department (CID) termed it an “anti-government” act, resulting in show-cause notices to five police personnel, including a woman inspector.
The BJP has hit out at the Congress-led government for “ordering an inquiry into missing ‘samosas” and turning a blind eye to the cases that warrant attention.’’ The CID tried to downplay the incident, saying the samosa gaffe was an internal matter.
However, the matter became political. Leader of Opposition and former CM Jai Ram Thakur said in a video statement: “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?” Thakur asked. “The state government and the chief minister must have found the matter serious and ordered an inquiry into the samosa episode,’’ he said.
Thakur said allegations of corruption in various state government departments are not being probed but an inquiry was ordered into samosa distribution. Former Himachal Pradesh BJP chief Satpal Satti claimed the Congress government made itself a laughing stock by ordering an “inquiry into samosas”.
“The BJP has no issues. False propaganda is being spread against the Congress government,” said the chief minister’s chief adviser Naresh Chouhan.
Caught in the controversy, the CID termed the episode as an internal matter and urged everyone not to politicise it. “It is our department’s internal matter. The government has nothing to do with it,’’ said Sanjeev Ranjan Ojha, Director General (DG), CID.
He said merely verbal orders were issued to find out what happened to the snacks ordered for the chief minister. “No inquiry has been ordered, no explanation is sought and no action will be taken against anyone. People should refrain from escalating and politicizing the matter,” he said.
The row over who ate the samosas meant for the CM began when three boxes of refreshments were brought from Hotel Radisson Blue in Lakkar Bazaar of Shimla to be served to the chief minister who had gone to the CID headquarters to attend a function.
However, the boxes were served to the CM security staff, as per the enquiry report which was conducted by a DSP, said sources.