Yog Raj Sharma
The North News
Shimla, August 4
Dr. Yashwant Singh Parmar gave Himachal Pradesh its own identity and united its people with a shared vision, Panchayati Raj Minister Anirudh Singh said on Monday while paying tribute to the state’s first Chief Minister on his 119th birth anniversary. Speaking at a commemorative event organised at the Himachal Pradesh Assembly Library, he said that without Dr. Parmar’s leadership, the region might have remained dependent on Punjab for administrative needs.
“Had Dr Parmar not brought together the many princely states and pushed for a separate hill state, Himachalis would still be forced to run to Punjab for basic matters. He gave us not just a state, but a future,” he added. .
The event saw the garlanding of Dr Parmar’s statue, with Assembly Deputy Speaker Vinay Kumar and Leader of the Opposition Jairam Thakur also in attendance. However, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania were notably absent. Anirudh cited inclement weather as the reason for the Chief Minister’s absence.
Former Chierf Minister Jairam Thakur, however, voiced concern over the lack of presence from senior officials and family members of Dr Parmar. “The Assembly Speaker and Chief Minister should have been here. Meetings could have been rescheduled. This event deserved their priority,” he said. Dr Parmar is widely credited with leading the movement for statehood and laying the administrative and political foundation for modern Himachal Pradesh. Parmar’s efforts culminated in the creation of the state in 1971.
