Occasion used to vent frustration instead of presenting achievements, says LoP

Former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur sharply criticised the state government’s three-year celebration event in Mandi today, alleging that the Sukhu government used the occasion to vent internal frustration instead of presenting achievements. Addressing the media, Thakur said that the event, held in a district that suffered the worst losses during recent disasters, reflected the government’s “insensitivity” towards affected families.

Thakur accused the Congress government of spending nearly Rs 10 crore from the state exchequer merely to “abuse the Centre and the BJP” rather than announcing constructive initiatives. “Instead of applying balm to disaster victims’ wounds, the government sprinkled salt,” he said. According to him, the public witnessed Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Deputy CM Mukesh Agnihotri “glare at each other and express anger openly,” creating shock among citizens, officials and employees present at the rally.

He said that a programme which the government claimed would showcase its vision for the next two years turned into a platform solely for criticising the Central government. “I had earlier said this government has no vision. Today, it became clear that their vision is completely blurred,” Thakur added.

The former Chief Minister questioned the massive expenditure on the event, arguing that the money should have been used to support disaster-hit families. He also remarked that Deputy CM’s reprimand of the Chief Minister during the public event exposed the internal rift within the ruling party.

Thakur pointed out that prominent Congress leaders such as former PCC chief Pratibha Singh and PWD Minister Vikramaditya Singh were conspicuously absent, claiming this showed the growing divide between the Sukhu faction and supporters of the late CM Virbhadra Singh.

Thakur further alleged that the rally crowd did not arrive voluntarily. “Government employees were pressurised to attend. Schoolchildren and ITI students were forcibly brought to the venue,” he claimed, adding that despite all efforts, the rally “failed miserably.”