Munish Sood
Shimla
Jai Ram Thakur on Sunday termed the Bharatiya Janata Party’s sweeping victory in Himachal Pradesh local body elections as a direct rejection of the Congress government’s “failure, corruption, anarchy and mafia rule” under Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.
Celebrating the party’s performance with BJP leaders and workers at the party headquarters “Deep Kamal” in Shimla, the Leader of Opposition said the election outcome reflected growing public resentment against the state government’s “false promises, anti-people decisions and poor governance.”
Thakur alleged that law and order in the state had deteriorated under the present regime and accused the government of shielding mafia elements, claiming corruption had weakened the administrative system. He said the local body poll results made it clear that people had “made up their mind to remove the Congress government from power.”
Launching a sharp attack on the Chief Minister, Jai Ram Thakur claimed that even Sukhu’s own ministers did not trust him due to his “habit of making false statements.” He further alleged that the Congress government had tried to avoid holding the civic elections and conducted them only after directions from the court.
“The Chief Minister was aware of the public mood and the likely outcome of the elections. That is why the government kept running away from the polls,” Thakur said, adding that Sukhu now appeared “disturbed by the results” and was reacting “like West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.” He urged the Chief Minister to accept the people’s mandate gracefully.
The former Chief Minister described the BJP’s victory as more than just an electoral success, saying it symbolised the people’s growing faith in the BJP and deepening disillusionment with the Congress government. According to him, voters had rejected what he termed the politics of “lies, confusion and publicity.”
Thakur congratulated BJP workers, office-bearers and supporters for the party’s performance and thanked the people of Himachal Pradesh for their support. He also expressed confidence that the BJP would receive even stronger backing from the public in future elections.
Among those present during the celebrations were BJP state president Rajeev Bindal, organisation secretary Siddharthan, treasurer Kamal Sood, Kisan Morcha president Sanjeev Deshta, media coordinator Karn Nand and Shimla district president Keshav Chauhan, along with several party workers and leaders.
