Congress needs to Introspect after Zila Parishad defeat: Rohit Thakur

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Thakur calls defeat disappointing, rules out differences among ministers.

Shimla , September 11

Himachal Pradesh Education Minister Rohit Thakur has described the Congress’ defeat in the Shimla Zila Parishad president and vice-president elections as disappointing, saying the party needs to review its shortcomings and strengthen its organization ahead of the Assembly elections.

The BJP won both key posts after the Panchayati Raj elections, despite Shimla traditionally being considered a strong Congress base.  The minister Thakur said the results showed that the party needed to examine why it failed to perform as expected in several Assembly constituencies.

He  said all Zila Parishad members from the Jubbal-Kotkhai Assembly constituency were elected, but the Congress could not secure the expected results elsewhere in the district. He said the party would identify the gaps and take corrective measures to strengthen the organization.

He said he would also discuss the election results with the state Congress president. With around a year left before the Assembly elections, Thakur stressed the need for the party to move forward with greater organizational strength.

Regarding his Delhi visit, the minister said it was scheduled in connection with an official program of the Education Department. He said he also met Congress leaders during the visit, with discussions covering issues related to the state government and the party organization.

The minister said other ministers were also present in Delhi, and they discussed the Congress government’s four-year tenure in Himachal Pradesh. However, he added that some matters related to the party were internal and could not be made public.

On the sudden postponement of a Himachal Pradesh Cabinet meeting, Thakur denied any differences or discord among ministers. He said all ministers had reached Shimla to attend the meeting, which was later postponed.

Thakur said he was not aware of the reason for the postponement but ruled out any internal disagreement or differences among ministers over the issue.

On Himachal Pradesh’s literacy achievement, he said the state’s rise from around five per cent literacy to 99.5 per cent was the result of sustained efforts in education over several decades.

He credited the foundation laid by the state’s first Chief Minister, Dr Yashwant Singh Parmar, and said successive governments had continued to prioritize education and invest in the sector.

He said the achievement was a collective outcome of successive governments’ and teachers’ efforts, adding that sustained investment and political commitment had helped Himachal Pradesh emerge among the leading states in education.