Munish Sood
MANDI:
Former Union Minister and BJP Member of Parliament from Hamirpur Anurag Thakur launched a sharp attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during his visit to Mandi, accusing him of repeatedly maligning India and the RSS on foreign soil.
Reacting to Rahul Gandhi’s recent remarks made abroad, Anurag Thakur said that opposing India on foreign soil had become “a natural habit” for the Congress leader and his close aides. “Even during Operation Sindoor and the airstrikes, Rahul Gandhi chose to praise Pakistan while sitting in India. What compulsion drives him to speak against his own country again and again?” Anurag Thakur questioned.
The BJP MP claimed that Rahul Gandhi’s “soft corner for Pakistan” has cost him dearly at the ballot box. “Rahul Gandhi and his followers’ affection for Pakistan has already led to 90 electoral defeats. Now, he is set to face another one in Bihar,” Anurag Thakur added.
Turning his guns towards the Himachal Pradesh Congress, Anurag Thakur ridiculed its ongoing “Vote Chor, Gaddi Chhod” (vote thief, vacate the chair) signature campaign. He described the Congress as a party of “promise thieves” that came to power in the state by deceiving voters. “The Congress government in Himachal Pradesh was formed on false promises and the same pattern is visible across the country. Discrediting India’s constitutional institutions has become their only agenda,” he remarked.
On the political buzz surrounding his possible entry into state politics, Anurag Thakur clarified that he had always been part of Himachal’s political landscape. “I am from Himachal and will continue to work as a dedicated party worker. There is no question of any new entry and these discussions should now come to an end,” he said.
The former minister also criticised the state government’s statement calling the Centre’s special Rs 843 crore devolution instalment “insufficient.” He said the Union Government had been sending thousands of crores to Himachal, but instead of expressing gratitude, Congress leaders are trying to divert public attention. “Their own guarantees to the people remain unfulfilled, yet they continue to blame the Centre,” Anurag Thakur added.
Earlier in the day, Anurag Thakur received a grand welcome from BJP workers and representatives of various local organisations at ITI Chowk, Mandi. He later interacted with party workers at the Circuit House.
