"Worst two years in the history of Himachal Pradesh": Jai Ram Thakur slams Congress government

Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], November 27 (ANI): With the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu government in Himachal Pradesh planning to mark two years in office with a function in Bilaspur next month, BJP leader Jai Ram Ramesh launched a strong attack on Congress, saying its rule has been marked by "corruption and mismanagement" and the last two years have been "worst" in the history of the state.
Addressing a press conference, Thakur said BJP workers would take to the streets to lodge their protest and highlight the "failures" of the Congress government.
He alleged that the Congress government has put "Himachal on Sale" and accused the government of pushing the state into a financial and administrative crisis.
"Himachal Pradesh is now on sale. The government has crossed all limits of corruption and mismanagement," he said, adding that the state's debt has surged past Rs 90,000 crore and a sizeable portion of it has come in the last two years.
The former Chief Minister also targeted the Sukhu government over alleged corruption.
"The ED has arrested people in illegal mining, and we are being told that those arrested are close to the government. The mining mafia is thriving under this regime," he alleged.
Jairam Thakur, who is Leader of Opposition in the state assembly, alleged that stone crushers that were previously shut down are now operational due to "corrupt practices".
"The government is making reckless decisions and withdrawing them within days, exposing its incompetence. It has been worst two years in history of Himachal Pradesh," he added.
He said that the Congress government has failed to deliver on guarantees and now a Congress MLA in Karnataka has also spoken of need to withdraw "promised guarantees".
"Where are the guarantees you made to the people? Did you provide 300 units of free power? Did you create jobs or buy milk and cow dung from farmers as promised? People in states like Haryana and Maharashtra did not believe your guarantees."
He alleged there was delay in government staff getting salaries, media freedom was getting curtailed and there was a lack of coordination between the government and the Congress party.
"Even the Congress state chief and ministers are unaware of these so-called two-year celebrations. The Chief Minister and Deputy CM are lying to the people and misleading them," he alleged.
He claimed that Chief Minister is sidelining loyalists of former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and that Sukhu's agenda is "Holly Lodge-mukt Congress".
Virbhadra Singh resided in Holly Lodge during his term as Chief Minister.
Thakur alleged that "Congress infighting" is paralyzing governance.
The BJP leader criticized the government for decisions that he claimed have tarnished Himachal Pradesh's reputation. "The state has never experienced such unfortunate governance. Himachal Bhawan was attached due to the government's failure to pay upfront premiums for hydropower projects. Across the country, Himachal Pradesh is being ridiculed," he said.
"You imposed a toilet tax and later withdrew it after tarnishing the state's image. Every wrong decision is followed by blame on the previous BJP government," he added.
Thakur expressed serious concerns over the government's approach to privatization. "There is a big conspiracy to sell Himachal Pradesh. The CM says they are ready to offer loss-making units to private players, while the Deputy CM denies any disinvestment plans. This lack of coordination is evident to everyone," he remarked.
"In these two years, we won the Rajya Sabha seat despite being in opposition. We also won Lok Sabha seats and defeated Congress in key assembly segments. This shows the public's lack of trust in this government," he added.
Thakur questioned the need for celebrations to mark two years of Congress government. "The entire state is surprised and distressed. The Congress government has failed to achieve anything significant in two years. Himachal Pradesh has gone back 20 years in development," Thakur claimed.
"This government is conspiring to sell Himachal Pradesh. We will not let this happen. The people of the state deserve better." Thakur added. (ANI)