Jai Ram Thakur slams Sukhu govt over employees demands

Shimla: Himachal Pradesh Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur on Friday criticised the Congress government and Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu over employees’ demands, the functioning of the administration and the postponement of a welfare scheme.

After paying tribute to Mahatma Gandhi and former prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri at their statues on the Ridge, he also took part in a cleanliness drive and praised sanitation workers. While talking to reporters, he said Gandhi’s principles of truth, non-violence, sacrifice and Satyagraha continued to be relevant while Shastri’s simplicity, honesty and sense of duty remained an inspiration.

Referring to his recent visit to Delhi, Jai Ram Thakur said he had met Union ministers to discuss development issues in Himachal Pradesh, the functioning of the state government and organisational matters. He said he also sought feedback on ongoing schemes and ways to secure further benefits for the state.

Turning to the state government, Jai Ram Thakur, alleged that employees and pensioners were being forced to protest over their demands. He also claimed that Junior Basic Training (JBT) teachers protesting for several days had not received adequate attention from the chief minister and his ministers.

Thakur also questioned the postponement of the Mukhyamantri Apna Parivar Sukhi Parivar Yojana, which had been scheduled for launch on 2 October. The government has said the launch was deferred because of changes in eligibility criteria and delays in scrutinising applications.

Thakur alleged that the delay was linked to Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s availability, but this claim was not independently established in the reports reviewed.

He further accused the state government of repeatedly changing programme schedules because of the availability of senior Congress leaders. Thakur also alleged that Sukhu was giving greater attention to his associates than to development issues and claimed that some ministers were travelling to Delhi with their grievances.

The allegations are part of the opposition BJP’s criticism of the Congress-led state government; the government has not been quoted here responding to the specific claims.