Security Tightened Around CM’s Residence
Munish Sood
Shimla
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday staged a major protest in Shimla against the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh over the registration of a disproportionate assets case against Dharamshala MLA Sudhir Sharma. As BJP leaders and workers marched towards the Chief Minister’s official residence, Oak Over, the police tightened security and deployed a large force to prevent protesters from entering the high-security area.
The protesters, led by Leader of the Opposition and former Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, later staged a sit-in on the road about 100 metres from the Chief Minister’s residence after being stopped by the police. Senior BJP leaders, including state president Dr Rajeev Bindal, MLAs and party workers, joined the demonstration and raised slogans against the state government.
The protest comes days after the Himachal Pradesh government registered a disproportionate assets case against BJP MLA Sudhir Sharma. The BJP has described the action as politically motivated and accused the Congress government of targeting opposition leaders.
Addressing the gathering, Jai Ram Thakur alleged that the Sukhu government was misusing investigative agencies to settle political scores and suppress the opposition. He claimed that cases had been registered against several BJP leaders, including MLAs Sukhram Chaudhary, Sudhir Sharma, Ashish Sharma and Hoshyar Singh, while action was also being planned against BJP leader Chaitanya Sharma.
Thakur further alleged that the road leading to the residence of BJP MLA Ravi Thakur had been blocked. He also claimed that journalists were facing police action, saying such developments were a matter of concern for democracy.
BJP state president Dr Rajeev Bindal said the protest was against what he called the government’s “politics of vendetta” and alleged misuse of state machinery. He said the agitation would not remain limited to Shimla and announced that the party would hold similar protests across the state in the coming days.
A day before the protest, the BJP Legislature Party met in Shimla to discuss its strategy for the Monsoon Session of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly, scheduled to begin on August 21. The meeting was chaired by Jai Ram Thakur and attended by senior party leaders, including Dr Rajeev Bindal.
After the meeting, BJP Legislature Party secretary Randhir Sharma accused the Congress government of failing to maintain law and order in the state. He alleged a rise in serious crimes, including murder, robbery and drug trafficking, and said the BJP would raise these issues during the Assembly session.
Sharma also alleged that BJP leaders and legislators were under surveillance, claiming that their phones were being tapped and that information about party meetings was being collected through the police and the administration. He said the BJP would continue to oppose what it described as attempts to undermine democratic rights.
The state government has not responded in detail to the allegations made by the BJP. The case against Sudhir Sharma is under investigation.
