Aggressive Thakur took on govt, silenced critics

Lalit Mohan

Dharamsala, January 7

The opposition BJP had exhibited aggression during the three-day Winter Session in Dharamsala that concluded yesterday, as the ruling Congress tried to put its house in order.

There were some light moments in the Vidhan Sabha when Chief Minister Sukhu addressed Jai Ram Thakur as ‘mukhyamantri’

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On the first day of the session on December 4, Jai Ram Thakur, Leader of the Opposition and former Chief Minster, had raised the issue of the closure of 900 institutions and offices opened by the previous BJP government. The Opposition members staged a walkout of the House demanding that the government should revoke its decision to denotify all offices and institutions opened up by the previous BJP government.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu remained busy with visitors in the Assembly complex and at the Circuit House where he was staying. He had so many visitors that even bureaucrats found it difficult to meet him. At times even the private staff of the Chief Minister had no clue about his programmes, which were changed frequently.

Sukhu also went to Palampur to meet former Chief Minister Shanta Kumar on December 4. While in Palampur, he also met a former Speaker, BBL Butail. The Chief Minister’s decision to especially go to Palampur to meet the veteran BJP leader invited criticism within the party. Sukhu had left for Delhi on December 5 evening for consultations with the party high command regarding the expansion of his Cabinet and returned today.

Thakur, who as Chief Minister was known to be polite towards everyone, was a changed man as the Leader of the Opposition. He aggressively took on the Opposition as well as his rivals in the BJP. He did not mince words while targeting his opponents when questioned by a section of media about the reasons for the BJP’s defeat in the last Assembly elections.

Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri remained accessible to all bureaucrats, MLAs and Congress leaders and delegations, who called on him during the session. Since the post of Deputy Chief Minister was created for the first time in Himachal, Agnihotri also got an office in the main building of the Vidhan Sabha near the Chief Minister’s office.

The three-day session also witnessed hectic lobbying by bureaucrats to get in the good books of the Chief Minister and “probable” ministers. A meeting of bureaucrats with Congress politicians in the evening was a routine during the session.

There were some light moments in the Vidhan Sabha when Sukhu addressed Jai Ram Thakur as “mukhyamantri”, leaving the Opposition members in a guffaw.