Party worker first, then CM, Jai Ram Thakur snubs Pratibha Singh

Pratibha Chauhan

Shimla, May 30

Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur today said that he did not lower the dignity of his post by personally extending invitation to people for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally, “as I am a party worker first and the Chief Minister later”.

Humility a must

In a democracy, politicians must have humility and simplicity. Maybe this is her thinking as she comes from a different background. I come from a humble background and I have no qualms about going to people’s houses to invite them to the Prime Minister’s rally. Jai Ram Thakur, Chief Minister

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“I consider myself fortunate to be performing the duty assigned to me by my party to personally go to people’s homes to invite them to the Prime Minister’s rally in Shimla tomorrow,” he said replying to state Congress president Pratibha Singh’s remarks that he was lowering the dignity of the Chief Minister’s post by inviting people himself. Incidentally, Pratibha made the remarks after the Chief Minister went to her house at Jakhu yesterday to invite her to the rally.

Thakur said that in a democracy, politicians must have humility and simplicity. “Maybe this is her thinking as she comes from a different background. I come from a humble background and I have no qualms about going to people’s houses to invite them to the rally, which will mark the completion of eight years of the NDA government at the Centre,” he added.

Thakur said that all MPs and MLAs, including of the Congress, had been invited to the function, which would be telecast across the nation. “A total of 17 lakh people will join the function virtually from across the country and 50,000 will attend the rally,” he added. Ministers and senior BJP leaders would also be present at all 11 district headquarters in Himachal where people would join virtually.

Thakur and the family of former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh have had a love-hate relationship. Virbhadra always praised Thakur by referring to him as a simple and honest man, a practice that his wife Pratibha Singh and MLA son Vikramaditya Singh are continuing, much to the discomfiture of the Congress.