Mandi: Former Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition, Jai Ram Thakur, attended a felicitation ceremony for newly elected representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions in the Nachan Assembly constituency, congratulating all the successful representatives and urging them to work towards the development of the region with complete dedication, commitment, and public service. Upon his arrival, he received a grand welcome led by local MLA Vinod Kumar. Addressing the ceremony, Jai Ram Thakur launched a scathing attack on the Sukhu government, alleging that Panchayati Raj Institutions are the strongest pillar of democracy, but the current government resorted to every possible tactic to postpone the elections. Ultimately, only after the intervention of the Honorable Supreme Court, the elections were held, in which the public delivered a crushing defeat to the Congress. He clarified that these elections were the result of the BJP’s hard work and efforts, while Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu did not even want to see Panchayat representatives in the position of Pradhan.
Expressing concern over the current state of affairs in the state, he said that “lockdown” has become the primary model of comfortable governance, and the four-year term is about to end, but in terms of development, the state remains where it left off when the BJP government left it. Taking a jab at the Chief Minister’s recent visit to Delhi, the Leader of the Opposition said that the internal situation within the Congress party is extremely dire, with some ministers visiting Delhi to oust the Chief Minister and some MLAs seeking ministerial appointments, but the Congress high command and Rahul Gandhi refused to even grant them an appointment. He quipped that the Chief Minister makes announcements about ministerial positions in public meetings without any constitutional process or formal letter from Lok Bhavan, leaving MLAs who have been waiting for a year in despair. One MLA has become so thin that he has to follow him around daily.
Citing political statistics, he said that Mandi district overwhelmingly supported the BJP in the 2017 and 2022 elections, and that the BJP will win all 10 seats in Mandi in the 2027 assembly elections. The atmosphere in Kangra is also favorable this time, and the BJP will win at least 12 seats there. Citing the BJP’s victory in the Shimla and Hamirpur Zila Parishad elections, he said that even in the Chief Minister’s home district and parliamentary constituency, the public has rejected the Congress, and the Chief Minister is now seeking a safe seat. Describing the BJP’s capture of the Shimla Zila Parishad President and Vice President positions as a victory for democracy, he said that the government tried its best to intimidate and threaten public representatives using its power, but the public and representatives have sent a clear message against the Sukhu government. Jai Ram Thakur alleged that the Chief Minister was acting only out of political vendetta, under which false FIRs had been lodged against 13 BJP MLAs and former MLAs and pressure was being put on officials to frame fake cases.
Exposing a conspiracy to shut down and discredit the highly popular Himcare Scheme launched during the BJP’s tenure, he said that the Chief Minister has been making baseless claims of a ₹1,100 crore scam in the Assembly, while only ₹850 crore has been spent since the scheme’s inception. Following his embarrassment, the Chief Minister is now calling for police officers to investigate, claiming a ₹100 crore scam. He challenged the Chief Minister from an open platform to prove a scam in the scheme, otherwise, as soon as the BJP forms government in the state, this politically motivated investigation will be conducted impartially. On this occasion, local MLA Vinod Kumar also strongly criticized the Sukhu government’s functioning and urged the newly elected representatives to serve the people honestly and in solidarity with the BJP, without succumbing to any pressure.
India’s stature has increased at the BRICS summit; under Modi’s leadership, the country’s dominance on the global stage is strengthening.
Former Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition, Jai Ram Thakur, said that the BRICS Summit, hosted by India under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has once again established the country’s growing influence on the world stage and the Prime Minister’s strong global leadership. Through the Summit, India strongly amplified the voice of developing countries and effectively highlighted the need for their greater participation in global decision-making. Efforts to promote trade, technology, the digital economy, supply chains, and economic cooperation will bring new opportunities for India. He said that today, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is not only playing its role in the changing world order, but is also emerging as a major force shaping the global agenda and giving the world a new direction. India’s effective role in BRICS is a clear testimony to Prime Minister Modi’s growing global stature and India’s
