Anurag Thakur launches BJP membership drive in Himachal, criticises Bengal Govt over women's safety

Hamirpur (Himachal Pradesh) [India], September 4 (ANI): Former Union Minister and Hamirpur MP Anurag Thakur on Wednesday launched the BJP's new membership campaign in Himachal Pradesh and criticised the West Bengal government's handling of women's safety issues under Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Thakur stated, "If a state's chief minister is a woman, yet women are not safe, it reflects the state's poor condition." He deemed it unfortunate when women must protest for justice, calling it a significant misfortune.
Thakur's comments followed recent reports of violence against women in West Bengal. He said that these incidents are causing national shame and criticised the slow response from authorities.
"It is sad that the whole country is feeling ashamed of the incidents that are continuously happening in Bengal," he said.
Notably, a trainee doctor was found dead in the seminar hall of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on August 9.
He criticised the slow response from authorities and emphasised the need for timely action against perpetrators to ensure victims receive justice.
"Timely action against perpetrators is lacking, which prevents victims from getting justice while he also pointed out that while laws against such crimes exist, they need to be strictly enforced," said the Hamirpur MP.
Thakur also initiated the BJP's membership drive in Himachal Pradesh, aiming to recruit 16 lakh new members. He enrolled as a member during the event in Hamirpur, and party leaders processed his membership slip. Prominent BJP figures attended the launch event.
Rajesh Thakur, in charge of the Hamirpur parliamentary constituency membership campaign, handled the registration.
As part of the membership campaign, Thakur presented a neem plant to new members who signed up using his referral code. Addressing the crowd, Thakur outlined the party's goals for the membership drive.
"The party aims to have 200 members from each booth," he said. He urged BJP workers to focus on areas where the party's presence is weak and underlined the need to recruit more young members.
"Steps have been taken towards providing 33 per cent reservation for women, which will be a key focus in the membership campaign," Thakur added.
Additionally, Thakur criticised the current Himachal Pradesh state government, highlighting issues like delayed salary and pension payments for employees.
"There has never been such a day in the history of Himachal when even after four days of the month, lakhs of employees and pensioners of the state have not received salary and pension," the former Cabinet Minister said.
He also accused the state government of mismanagement and claimed that unqualified individuals had been appointed to important positions. (ANI)