MANDI: In a no-holds-barred attack on the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh, Leader of the Opposition and former Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Wednesday (November 27, 2024) took a dig at alleged factionalism in the ruling party and accused the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu regime of attempting to make his government “Holy Lodge-Free”.
Addressing a press conference at Ashiana restaurant in Shimla, Jai Ram chuckled as he accused Chief Minister Sukhu of waging an all-out war against the Holy Lodge faction of the Congress, calling the CM’s actions “dictatorial”. He alleged that CM Sukhu was trying to create a “faction-free unit by trying to purge the party of certain elements”.
“Sukhu is hell bent on making Congress ‘Holy Lodge-free’, but what’s the cost? A government that is so uncoordinated that even its own ministers seem clueless about its achievements,” Jai Ram quipped. The ex-CM was seemingly targeting the ruling party over PWD Minister Vikramaditya Singh’s recent statement that he wasn’t taken into confidence by CM Sukhu regarding the government’s second anniversary celebrations in Bilaspur. Vikramaditya is the son of Himachal Congress president Pratibha Singh and late six-term Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, whose upscale residence in Shimla is called Holy Lodge.
Jai Ram, who previously served as Chief Minister before Sukhu’s rise to the top post, further criticised the Congress government for lacking cohesion, with ministers and party leaders often at odds over the direction of governance. “They are celebrating two years in office without even realising it! Ministers don’t know whether they are coming or going. There’s no coordination between the government and the party organisation,” said Jai Ram, taking a jibe at the government.
The former Chief Minister didn’t stop there as he extended a “VIP pass” to disgruntled Congress leaders, offering them an open invitation to join the BJP. “If Congress leaders are unhappy with their government, we will roll out the red carpet for them. After all, with Congress crumbling, it might just be the best decision they make,” said Jai Ram, poking fun at the ruling party.
Jai Ram’s criticism turned sharper as he branded the government’s handling of state affairs as a “dictatorial circus”. He accused CM Sukhu of making hasty decisions without considering their impact, only to retract them later, thus making the state a laughing stock. “One-minute decisions are made; the next, they’re reversed. It’s like a circus act with no safety net!” the ex-CM remarked, further questioning the leadership’s credibility.
Pointing to the Congress government’s repeated failures, Jai Ram cited its loss of a Rajya Sabha seat despite a clear majority, poor results in the recent Lok Sabha elections and an inability to fulfill promises such as job creation for youth and electricity subsidies. He also raised serious concerns over the alleged mortgaging of Himachal Bhawan for Rs 64 crore and accused the government of attempting to sell off tourism properties, calling it “Himachal on sale”.
In his final remarks, Jai Ram took a direct swipe at Sukhu’s leadership style, referring to him as a “dictator” who controls the government with an iron fist, leaving “ministers powerless”. “Sukhu is the puppet master, pulling all the strings, while his ministers remain powerless. This is a dictatorship masquerading as democracy,” he said.
In no-holds-barred attack, Jai Ram calls Himachal CM ‘dictator’, says trying to make govt ‘Holy Lodge-free’
