Bindal resigns from HP health minister's post

Himachal chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal's trusted lieutenant health minister Rajeev Bindal, who was recently appointed as the party's general secretary by the BJP high command, tendered his resignation from ministerial berth on Monday.

Informing about his resignation, Bindal said he had tendered resignation to Dhumal and taken over the post of general secretary.

"I have performed my duties with full dedication in the government for the past four and half years and on the directions of the high command, I am now ready to serve the party," said Bindal. Bindal, a staunch supporter of Dhumal, has remained the prime target of the faction led by Shanta Kumar.

The party, in a bid to placate the dissidents, has appointed him the party's general secretary. It was last year that four BJP legislators, accompanied by two ministers, had called on national party president Nitin Gadkari at his residence in Delhi, demanding removal of Bindal from the cabinet.

The ruling party faced on odd situation when the Opposition Congress resorted to continuous boycott of the health minister in Vidhan Sabha during the budget session.

The Congress targeted Bindal over the land deals even as he offered to quit his ministerial berth. Dhumal at that time had rejected his resignation from the cabinet, saying that the charges of Congress did not hold ground and were politically motivated. The move to shift Bindal to the organisation came close on heels when Gadkari was scheduled to meet Dhumal and Shanta to bring truce in the party. The step by state party chief Satpal Satti was seen as a move to send signal across the Shanta camp that the party wants truce before the elections.