Rs 1.22 lakh Holi bash bill: Chief Secy should treat party as personal, pay up, says Sukhu’s media advisor

Naresh Chauhan, media advisor to Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, stated on Saturday that the chief secretary of Himachal Pradesh must cover the Rs 1.22 lakh expense for a Holi celebration he organized for other bureaucrats and their families.

“I would have suggested to the chief secretary to treat the party as personal and pay the bill himself…In my personal opinion, we should avoid such thing,” Chauhan told media persons.

Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena organized a gathering and lunch for Holi at Hotel Holiday Home (HHH), a property of Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC), on March 14, with approximately 75 attendees, including more than 20 IAS officers, along with their spouses and children. The HPTDC sent the bill of Rs 1.22 lakh to the General Administration Department (GAD), but the payment was halted due to concerns over whether the state treasury should cover the cost.

When questioned about the bill’s approval by the government, Chauhan mentioned that the payment “likely hasn’t been processed yet.” As the bill emerged on social media, the Opposition BJP criticized both the state government and the bureaucracy, with former minister Bikram Thakur calling it “a clear breach of democratic principles, ethical standards, and administrative propriety.”

“At a time when the state is reeling under a debt of Rs 1 lakh crore, such events clearly indicate the government and bureaucracy’s indifference to the problems faced by the common people,” Thakur had said.