Shimla: In a statement issued from Shimla, Leader of the Opposition Jairam Thakur said that the contradictory statements being made by the government, officials, and responsible individuals clearly demonstrate how confused this government is. If the government wants to hold elections on time, why issue a letter stating that elections cannot be held until the situation improves? To postpone the elections, the government formally instructed the District Deputy Commissioners to write a letter based on which the government could postpone the elections. However, like decisions like collecting money from temples and imposing a toilet tax, the government’s letter was leaked. Following this, the government is adopting a defensive posture and misleading the public. This is a government where the District Deputy Commissioners are saying one thing, the Chief Secretary is saying another, and the ministers and Chief Minister are saying another. The institution responsible for conducting elections is saying another. Such confusion is detrimental to the state in every way. It appears that the government is trying to escape with the help of lies.
Jairam Thakur said that the letters from the District Deputy Commissioners have revealed the government’s current policy and intentions. The gist of these letters is that the government has done nothing to provide relief to the people since the disaster. Not a single road has been fully reopened by the government. No rehabilitation work has been undertaken yet. Damage to infrastructure has not been repaired. The government’s indefinite postponement of elections also reveals its intention that there is no scope for improvement in the disaster-affected areas. People are homeless, winter is upon us, and the government is still insisting that we wait until facilities are improved. Those in power seem to have no idea how painful it is to be homeless. Despite the upcoming harsh winter months, the government has decided to abandon the people to their fate. Nothing could be more tragic than this. The central government is providing substantial financial assistance to Himachal Pradesh for disaster relief. But instead of spending that money on disaster victims, the government is spending it on its own allies and on running the government. Disaster victims deserve their dues. The government should fulfill its promises to disaster victims.
Jairam Thakur said that if elections are to be held on time, there are still about two to two and a half months left. So why is the effort being made to postpone the elections by issuing a letter now, citing the Disaster Management Act? The manner in which the government has attempted to stall municipal elections, first by passing an ordinance and then by introducing a bill in the Assembly, clearly reveals the government’s intentions regarding the Panchayat elections. This is the only government in the state that says one thing and does another. We have hundreds of examples of misleading the people of the state. This trend begins with the Assembly general elections, when Congress leaders, with much fanfare, announce 10 guarantees. From the very next day of coming to power, they claim they never said anything. Similarly, the people of the state were shown countless dreams—free electricity, free water, millions of jobs, apple prices at the discretion of orchardists, ₹1,500 for every woman in the state, ₹100 kg of milk, ₹3 kg of cow dung, a ₹680 crore startup fund—and now, after coming to power, the Chief Minister is spending his time doing the opposite. Judging by this government’s actions, it’s clear that it will continue to operate in this manner. This government has created a crisis of trust among the people of the state. This is the first time the government has said something and the people of the state are unable to believe it because the government habitually lies.
