A fresh storm has engulfed Himachal Pradesh’s political landscape after Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu found himself embroiled in yet another controversy, this time over allegations that a ‘junglee murga’ (grey junglefowl), a protected species under the Wildlife Protection Act, was served during a Congress government’s outreach programme at Tikkar village in Kupvi area of Chopal in Shimla district.
The dinner was part of Sukhu’s flagship “Sarkar Aapke Dwar” programme, aimed at bringing governance closer to people in remote regions. However, the alleged serving of “junglee murga” has drawn sharp criticism from the opposition BJP, with Dharamshala MLA Sudhir Sharma leading the charge.
Sudhir Sharma, a former Congress minister-turned-BJP MLA, took to X (formerly Twitter) to lambast the Sukhu administration. In a scathing post, he remarked, “Kukkadu Koo — the downfall of the system. The Wildlife Act doesn’t seem to apply in this jungle raj.”
The remark was not just a jab at the incident but a broader criticism of what Sudhir described as the “lawless and mismanaged” state of the government. Dharamshala BJP leader Sanjay Sharma further amplified the controversy, dubbing it the “wild chicken scandal” and comparing it to the recent “samosa scam”, another embarrassment for the Sukhu government.
Sudhir emerges one of Sukhu’s fiercest critics
Sudhir Sharma has emerged as one of Sukhu’s fiercest critics, with a history of targeting the current government on issues ranging from land allocation to governance failures. Just days ago, Sudhir accused the Sukhu government of favouring real estate mafia while ignoring the plight of the landless.
He stated, “Land pattas meant for the underprivileged, pending since Indira Gandhi’s era, are still undelivered. Meanwhile, projects are being hijacked for vested interests in Palampur and Dharamshala.”
Sudhir-Sukhu rivalry started after denial of ministry
Sudhir Sharma’s political trajectory adds intrigue to his pointed criticism of Sukhu. Once a trusted lieutenant in the Virbhadra Singh-led Congress government, Sudhir defected to the BJP after being denied a place in the Sukhu cabinet.
Following his defection, Sudhir supported the BJP’s Rajya Sabha nominee, resulting in his disqualification from the Assembly. He later won the Dharamshala byelection as a BJP candidate, cementing his place in the opposition.
With the Sukhu government now embroiled in a series of controversies, including the wild chicken episode, Sudhir appears determined to keep the spotlight on what he perceives as the administration’s repeated failures.
