S Gopal Puri
Dharamshala: As images of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Kangra circulated widely on social media, a striking detail caught the attention of political observers and citizens alike: while top Congress leaders and most Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) figures were prominently seen greeting the Prime Minister, two key state leaders were missing from the frame.
Former Chief Minister Jairam Thakur and BJP state president Rajeev Bindal were conspicuously absent in the viral visuals that showed Modi being received by Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri, and several Members of Parliament.
The absence sparked speculation on social media. However, sources confirmed that both Thakur and Bindal had been designated to meet the Prime Minister at a different location — the venue where families of victims affected by recent calamities were scheduled to interact with Modi.
“Every leader had an assigned place in the protocol arrangement. Jairam Thakur ji and Bindal ji were tasked to join the Prime Minister at the meeting point with affected families. That is why they do not appear in the initial reception pictures,” said a senior BJP functionary.
During the event, Chief Minister Sukhu, Deputy Chief Minister Agnihotri, and Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla were all seated in the second row when the Prime Minister met victims, highlighting the carefully structured seating plan.
Observers say the incident underscores how tightly controlled political protocols are during high-profile visits. “Social media often runs ahead of facts. People began asking why two of the state’s most senior BJP leaders were ‘missing in action,’ but in reality, their presence was simply shifted to another segment of the Prime Minister’s program,” a local journalist noted.
