Munish Sood
MANDI:
Former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur has accused the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led Congress government of misusing power, intimidating critics and even filing police cases against young schoolgirls who complained about mismanagement during a government event.
Addressing a press conference in Mandi on Tuesday (October 7, 2025), Jai Ram Thakur said that the Chief Minister seemed to be “obsessed with registering FIRs” and was acting at the behest of “petty local leaders”. He alleged that anyone who questions the government’s failures is being targeted through police cases or harassment.
“If someone protests, file a case. If a family runs a business, destroy it. If someone speaks up, trouble their relatives — this is how the Sukhu government is functioning today,” Thakur said.
FIRs against girls who complained over lack of food
Thakur said that the government had crossed all limits by filing FIRs against schoolgirls who had merely complained about not being served food at an official programme. “These girls were made to sit for hours under the sun. When they expressed their grievance, instead of showing empathy, the administration registered a case against them,” he said.
The former Chief Minister alleged that this has become a pattern — journalists who question the government face police action, opposition leaders face cases and social media is being misused to malign critics using vulgar language. “The government’s aim is to silence every voice of dissent,” he remarked.
Calls functioning of government ‘dictatorial’
Calling the functioning of the present government “dictatorial and inefficient”,” Thakur warned that authoritarian rulers never end well. “The Chief Minister must remember that every act of misuse of power is being recorded. Officers acting as tools of political power should also understand that their decisions will be reviewed one day,” he said.
He urged officers to work for the welfare of the state and use their knowledge and discretion wisely. “Don’t do anything today that brings you shame tomorrow,” he added.
Thakur accused the Sukhu government of corruption in the handling of disaster relief. “The debris lying along the roads after the calamity has not been cleared, yet contractors’ bills have been passed. Congress leaders are pocketing money while the affected people continue to suffer,” he alleged.
He claimed that out of the Rs 5,500 crore sent by the Central Government for disaster relief, only Rs 300 crore had actually reached the affected families. “There is no account of the remaining funds,” Thakur said. He also reminded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced a special relief package of Rs 1,500 crore, which the state government is allegedly trying to misuse for administrative expenses instead of helping victims.
The Leader of the Opposition said the administration was being run by officers on temporary or acting charges. “The Chief Secretary, DGP, SP of the largest district, Vice-Chancellors of the technical and agricultural universities, Director of Excise and Taxation and even the Electricity Regulatory Commission Chairman — all are holding acting positions,” he said.
According to Thakur, the Chief Minister is no longer in control of appointments and is surrounded by “suspicious and self-serving officials”. He described the situation as “dangerous” and said it shows that the government is functioning in a state of administrative paralysis.
Thakur claimed that even ministers within the Congress government are dissatisfied but afraid to speak openly. “We had warned the Chief Minister earlier that the path he is following will isolate him. Today, even his own colleagues are uneasy with his working style,” he said.
Raising a humanitarian issue, Thakur questioned why the government was stopping the reconstruction of a road that was washed away in a disaster 15 years ago. “The High Court’s directions are clear. At that site, three people were buried alive. Has the government lost all sensitivity and morality that it cannot even honour the dead?” he asked.
