Claims rally turned into infighting, not vision; says Virbhadra camp completely sidelines
Munish Sood
Mandi:
In a stinging critique of the Himachal Pradesh government’s three-year celebration in Mandi, Leader of the Opposition and former CM Jai Ram Thakur said the biggest message from the ruling party’s event was who did not turn up. The absence of senior Congress leaders Vikramaditya Singh and former PCC chief Pratibha Singh, he said, “spoke louder than the speeches delivered on stage,” laying bare the widening rift in the party.
Thakur alleged that instead of showcasing governance or presenting a roadmap, the “celebration became an open theatre of infighting”, with the stage turning into a platform for venting frustration rather than projecting achievements.
Calls it ‘insensitive decision to celebrate in calamity-hit Mandi’
The LoP questioned the government’s choice of venue, calling the decision to hold a lavish event in a district ravaged by disasters “highly insensitive”. He alleged the state spent nearly Rs 10 crore on what he termed a “political spectacle”, even as affected families continued to wait for meaningful relief.
“This was a moment to stand with the people of Mandi, not to organise a show of strength marked by internal discord,” Thakur said.
Claims CM, Deputy CM exposed rift on stage
Thakur claimed that the event played out on live television as Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Deputy CM Mukesh Agnihotri “exchanged glares and took veiled swipes at each other” instead of presenting a united front.
“This was not a platform to settle personal grudges. It was supposed to highlight three years of governance. Instead, the government spent more time attacking the Centre and the previous BJP dispensation,” he said.
According to him, the spectacle made it clear that “the remaining two years will also be spent blaming the Centre rather than delivering governance”.
Calling it the “clearest sign of a divided Congress”, Thakur said the complete absence of Pratibha Singh and PWD minister Vikramaditya Singh — leaders widely seen as pillars of the Virbhadra Singh camp — was too significant to ignore.
“The very leaders who brought the Congress to power were neither on the stage nor in the posters. This itself shows the Sukhu camp is attempting to sideline the Virbhadra loyalists,” he alleged.
The LoP also questioned the turnout, alleging widespread mobilisation by government machinery.
“Employees were pressured, schoolchildren loaded into buses and ITI students pushed to attend the rally. Despite this, the event failed to generate the enthusiasm the government expected,” he said.
He also accused the government of calling beneficiaries with the promise of financial benefits, only to wrap up the official component of the programme within minutes.
Thakur said public sentiment had turned sharply against the ruling Congress, claiming people were “ready to throw out a government that spends crores only to attack the Centre and squabble among themselves”.
He said the funds used for the event should instead have been diverted to relief for disaster-hit families, adding that the rally made it evident that “self-promotion, not public welfare”, was this government’s priority.
