Brand Congress regime as an era of ‘collapse, corruption and chaos’
Sourabh Sood
DHARAMSHALA: The Zorawar Ground in Dharamshala on Thursday (December 4, 2025) turned into a political battleground as the BJP’s tallest leaders — former Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur, former Union Minister Anurag Thakur, state president Rajiv Bindal, Sanjay Tandon and the party’s national leadership — mounted a blistering attack on the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led Himachal Pradesh Congress government.
The massive show of strength was framed around the slogan “Vyavastha patan ke 3 saal, badlo bhrasht Congress sarkaar (3 years of system failure, change corrupt Congress regime)”, marking the completion of three years of Congress rule in Himachal Pradesh, a period the BJP repeatedly branded as an era of “collapse, corruption and chaos”.
Stepping into full attack mode, Hamirpur MP Anurag Thakur accused the Sukhu government of indulging in divisive politics, administrative bankruptcy and unfulfilled promises. Taking a direct swipe at the Chief Minister, Anurag said the government was “stuck to the chair like Fevicol”, insisting that if the Congress was unable to govern, it was better to call it quits.
He alleged that the Congress regime had drowned the state in over Rs 1 lakh crore debt while failing to contribute even Rs 1,400 crore for central railway projects. “The Centre gave thousands of crores for railways, but the state couldn’t manage its share,” he remarked sharply.
He attacked the government over law and order, claiming the “Devbhoomi was turning into crime bhoomi”, and accused the Congress of appeasement politics in Shimla’s religious infrastructure issues. “This is a government that has handed out departments to friends,” he said, declaring that Thursday’s rally marked the beginning of the Congress government’s political downfall,” he said.
BJP state in-charge Shrikanth Sharma opened his address with “Radhe Radhe” and said the crowd’s voice must reach Chief Minister Sukhu’s Secretariat. He labelled the Congress’ 2022 victory a “mistake born out of electoral deception”, accusing the government of abandoning every single “guarantee” it made before polls.
Taking on Congress leaders for mocking the Prime Minister’s humble background, Sharma said, “Modi, the man they troll for selling tea, is the one who built the Ram Mandir, removed Article 370 and ensured free ration for 80 crore people.” He accused the Congress of “chanda chori” and referred to the National Herald case while claiming the party lacked commitment to Sanatan values. He said that in 2027, the BJP would ensure the Congress loses deposits at every booth.
Bindal, Tandon, Kashyap, Parmar add to firestorm
State BJP president Dr Rajiv Bindal accused the government of “stopping buses of BJP workers” and “trying to block the march of democracy”. He said development projects, including the Central University and land-related work at the Palampur agriculture university, had been halted, calling the government “anti-growth and anti-people.”
Sanjay Tandon echoed this sentiment, saying the people of Himachal had already made up their minds to “uproot the Congress government”. He described the rally not just as a demonstration but as a “public uprising”, with people coming from every corner of the state. He accused the Congress of turning every guarantee into “a hollow slogan”, claiming that unemployment, inflation and administrative breakdown had become the state’s defining features under Congress rule.
MP Suresh Kashyap alleged that the state was battling “drug mafias, rising corruption and gang wars”, accusing the Congress of misleading citizens with false promises while burdening them with rising ration, petrol and diesel costs due to increased VAT.
Former Speaker Vipin Parmar, too, didn’t hold back, saying the state government had become “khajjal” (confused), even quipping that the Chief Minister should be called “Khajjal Singh”. He alleged misuse of central funds and said the BJP’s next mission was to “remove this rattled government.”
Former ministers, MPs, MLAs and a large contingent of party office-bearers were among those present. The crowd size and energy became a talking point, with BJP leaders claiming the turnout symbolised public anger against the state government.
