Dinesh Agarwal
Shimla; Former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur on Tuesday said the Congress government’s plan to celebrate three years in office “does not sit well with the people”, especially when the state is facing a severe disaster situation.
Thakur said even senior Congress leaders “do not understand what the celebration is for”, as the government has failed to deliver on basic governance. He said the state is still under the Disaster Act, which the Chief Minister is using as grounds to delay panchayat elections, yet the government is preparing for a grand anniversary event.
He alleged that payments above ₹10,000 have been withheld by the treasury, salaries and pensions are delayed, and medical reimbursements—particularly for senior citizens—are stuck. He said youth have not received employment opportunities and over 15,000 people hired on an outsourced basis have been removed. “Roads are in poor condition across the state, and public services in rural areas are collapsing, yet the government is busy celebrating,” he said.
Thakur added that despite completing three years, the government could not name a single welfare scheme that has reached thousands of beneficiaries or become popular among the people.
He said that schemes introduced during the BJP tenure—HIMCARE, Sahara, Swavalamban, Grihini Suvidha, Shagun, and Jan Manch—were widely recognised and benefited lakhs, but the present government has discontinued or weakened them. “Under this government, HIMCARE payments are pending, Grihini Suvidha beneficiaries are not getting gas, Shagun for daughters is shut, and the Sahara scheme for the helpless is non-functional,” he stated.
He questioned the basis of the planned celebrations and said the Congress should withdraw the decision if it has “any sense of responsibility”.
On a query about the Bihar elections, Thakur said the results have sent a clear message to the Congress and predicted that the party would face an even worse outcome in Himachal. “Next elections will reduce the Congress to a point where it will fit inside an Alto car,” he said.