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Cong releases ‘chargesheet’ against Jai Ram-led BJP govt
Congress did not specifically name any individual minister but rather charged chief minister Jai Ram Thakur’s “coterie” with corruption in the chargesheet titled “Loot ki Choot“
With just a fortnight to go before the hill state goes to polls, Congress, which is hoping to make a comeback, brought out a 23-page ‘chargesheet’ against CM Jai Ram Thakur-led BJP government on Saturday. The ‘chargesheet’ targets the government over poor performance, scams, unemployment, irregularities in the food and civil supplies department, purchases of medical equipment in the health department, including the PPE kits purchased during the pandemic, paper leaks in the police department and jobs at Himachal Pradesh University (HPU).
Congress did not specifically name any individual minister but rather charged chief minister Jai Ram Thakur’s “coterie” with corruption in the chargesheet titled “Loot ki Choot.“
“The coterie of chief minister Jai Ram Thakur indulged in corruption. There was loot and plunder, and a lot of wasteful expenditure. Recruitment papers were leaked and jobs were sold,” the chargesheet alleged.
Leader of opposition Mukesh Agnihotri, while releasing the charge sheet, said, “Some chief ministers were known as architects of Himachal some were known as road walla Mukhya Mantri, Shanta jee was known as panni walla Mukhya Mantri, Virbhadra Singh jee was known as the architect of modern Himachal, while Jai Ram jee will be known as naukri bechnay walla Mukhya Mantri, “ Agnihotri said.
The head of the campaign committee Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu also accused the government of indulging in corruption. “The government money has been blatantly wasted for running the party, “he said.
Congress media and publicity chairman Pawan Khera said that the party would probe all the charges levelled in the chargesheet it had brought out against the state BJP government. Congress also alleged that the BJP did not fulfil the promises it had made in its vision document brought in 2017. “It promised that all the legislators would make public their assets but nothing happened on the ground,” Khera said.
Congress charged the government with poor financial management in the state. “It’s due to the management that the state’s debt burden has increased to a whopping ₹62,000 crore,” he claimed.
The ‘chargesheet’ also held the double-engine government responsible for inflation.
It said that the unemployment rate in Himachal increased to 9.2 % whereas the national average was 7.9 %. The government instead of providing jobs did not even fill the vacant posts in the government sector.
Congress in the chargesheet said that the government has replied in the Vidhan Sabha that it employed 12,165 youth through outsourcing, while it’s been bragging jobs to 30,000 youth.
It also targeted the government over the police constable recruitment examination leak.
Congress also alleged irregularities in recruitment at Himachal Pradesh University, Central University, IIT Mandi, and AIIMS Bilaspur. It blamed the private companies in Himachal for exploiting the apple growers. The chargesheet said that the government did not do anything concrete for improving the ₹5500 crore apple economy rather it finished subsidies on fungicides and chemical fertilisers.
