Himachal: BJP's Jai Ram Thakur visits disaster-hit Mandi, distributes relief material

Mandi (Himachal Pradesh) [India], August 16 (ANI): Former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Jai Ram Thakur on Saturday visited disaster-affected areas in Mandi to check on the well-being of residents and distributed relief material to the public.
During his visit, Thakur provided Rs 25,000 each to 18 affected families of Devol, Shillibagi, Jainshala, Shivthana, and Bhatkidhar villages. He targeted the Himachal Pradesh government's neglect of disaster-affected people, saying the government aims to console those who have lost everything by providing them with Rs 2,500 and Rs 5.
"What kind of humanity is this? Ministers come here and, instead of giving immediate relief, they register an FIR and go away. The government cannot have a more insensitive face than this," said the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly.
Thakur said that the state government announced a grant of Rs 7 lakh to the disaster-affected people and then remained silent. Of the seven lakhs, Rs 4.5 lakh is given directly by the centre.
People's houses have become completely dilapidated and are not fit to go inside, but no report of damage to those houses is being filed, he said and asked, "What does the government want? Should those who survived the tragedy become victims of the government's failure? I only request the Chief Minister to please not lie to the disaster-affected people."
Thakur celebrated Independence Day with students by hoisting the flag at Saraswati Vidya Mandir in Mandi on the auspicious occasion of Independence Day.
During this, he paid tribute to countless heroes who sacrificed their lives for the country's independence and remembered their contributions. He also appealed to the students, saying that their next goal is to develop and make India prosperous, and for this, there must be a collective effort. Self-reliance is complete independence.
"This decade, this century belongs to India, belongs to Indians. It belongs to India and the products manufactured by Indians," he said, adding that the country's hope and desire is from the youth, and it is they who have to fulfil it.
Jairam Thakur noted that while governments across the country often announce major schemes, facilities, and the opening of national and regional institutions on days of national importance, the state government in the state is taking a different approach.
"Instead of giving new things to the people, this government works on the policy of how to snatch, hang on to and mislead what is already available. The latest case is also the result of this narrow thinking of the Chief Minister. The Chief Minister believes in complicating the state instead of giving something better to the state," he added.
Regarding the incident that occurred during the Independence Day program in Solan, Thakur stated that they had informed the government from the outset that the future would be very challenging.
"The way you grabbed power on the basis of false guarantees, stole the mandate and then clearly reneged on your guarantees. The people of the state will not leave you, and it will become difficult for the government to move around among the people. The most surprising thing is that not only the common people are troubled by this government," the BJP leader said.
"The government has not spared even the big personalities. The government should relinquish its dictatorship and prioritise public interest. The people of the state are not going to leave the government just because it reneged on its guarantees," Thakur added. (ANI)