It is for the state government to decide whether the minister is bigger or the bureaucrat, Himachal Pradesh Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla said on Friday while referring to the conflicting statements on holding the panchayat elections in the state on time.

''The ministers are saying elections would be held on time while the bureaucrats working under them, including seven deputy commissioners, have reported that they are unable to prepare for the elections in the present circumstances,'' he said. Both can’t be true at the same time, Shukla said and asked the government to decide if the minister is bigger or the bureaucrat.

Interacting with reporters on the sidelines of the Audit Week launch in Shimla, the governor said holding panchayat elections is a constitutional arrangement, and everyone

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