'Rahul, Priyanka knew Congress did nothing celebratory in Himachal, so skipped event': Jai Ram Thakur's dig at Sukhu-led govt

The BJP leader also targeted the Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu-led Congress government in Himachal Pradesh over non-fulfilling 10 guarantees which include paying Rs 1500 to each woman in the household and creating one lakh job avenues for youth.

Shimla: Former Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh and the BJP leader Jai Ram Thakur took a swipe at the Congress saying the Congress government under CM Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu has failed on all fronts. Citing an example of the party's declining popularity, he said even Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi have abstained from attending a function which their party men wanted to celebrate with fanfare to project successful governance in the state.

"It was publicised that Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi would be coming here, but they also felt that there was nothing to celebrate claiming the success of the government. They wanted to avoid the embarrassment. Himachal has turned backwards during the one-year rule of the Congress government led by Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu. Anti-people policies of the government and the government's failure to tackle devastation caused by the monsoon season are glaring examples of its failure." Thakur said.

He further said all the work has come to a standstill and the government cited a lack of funds for these projects. Thakur also accused the Sukhu-led government of splurging crores of rupees on the celebrations of the government's completion of one year.

On a query over 10 guarantees, the Leader of Opposition said that Congress has made it a habit of befooling voters with the promise of 10 guarantees before the elections. "People, especially women, were attracted by the guarantee of Rs 1,500 per month, but after coming to power, the Congress just forgot about what it promised," he added.

Thakur said that as one year has passed, not a single woman has received Rs 1,500. Congress had promised to provide one lakh government jobs in the very first cabinet, but this promise was not fulfilled, he added.

On the question of the Staff Selection Commission, he said that strict action should be taken against the culprits. There was no involvement of the members in the paper leak, only the superintendent was involved.

According to the BJP leader, the Centre has provided assistance to compensate for the devastation caused during the monsoon season. Himachal government is providing relief under the package only with the help of the Centre. He claimed that the last time when the BJP formed the government, there were pending liabilities of more than Rs 10,000 crores.

On his possible candidature from Mandi in Lok Sabha polls, the Leader of Opposition said that it is up to the party to decide as the top brass is best suited to decide.