Himachal Pradesh cabinet approves Rs 92 lakh Mercedes Benz for governor despite financial crunch

The Himachal Pradesh cabinet on Thursday approved the purchase of a Mercedes Benz car worth Rs 92 lakh for Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla even as the state government reels under a mounting fiscal deficit.

The decision was taken in a cabinet meeting chaired by the Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.

“The Mercedes currently being used by the Governor has completed its service life. We have decided to procure a new vehicle for him,” said Industries Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan, according to a report by The Indian Express.

As per protocols and norms, the governor's vehicle has to be changed after every five years.

Governor Shukla is presently using a Mercedes 350 purchased in 2019, during the previous BJP government when Acharya Devvrat held the gubernatorial office. Prior to that, the Raj Bhavan had a Mercedes 250, acquired in 2013.

This comes days after a war of words broke out between the CM and the Governor over the drug menace. Shukla had warned that Himachal could become another ‘Udta Punjab’ if narcotics weren’t curbed, prompting Sukhu to urge restraint, saying such remarks were unbecoming of a constitutional authority.