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Himachal: BJP stages protest outside Sukhu’s residence in Shimla
The protest, led by leader of Opposition and former chief minister Jai Ram Thakur and presided over by BJP Himachal Pradesh president Rajeev Bindal, saw participation from party MLAs, MPs, elected representatives, office-bearers and workers from across the state
The Himachal BJP unit staged a massive protest in Shimla on Wednesday against what it termed as the Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu-led government’s anti-people decisions, corruption, deteriorating law and order, misuse of democratic institutions, and politics of vendetta.
The protest, led by leader of Opposition and former chief minister Jai Ram Thakur and presided over by BJP Himachal Pradesh president Rajeev Bindal, saw participation from party MLAs, MPs, elected representatives, office-bearers and workers from across the state.
After a public meeting, BJP workers marched through the city to Sher-e-Punjab before proceeding to Oak Over, where they staged a sit-in near the chief minister’s official residence. Demonstrators raised slogans against the state government over alleged corruption, misuse of police and administration, political vendetta and what they described as the “murder of democracy.”
“The people have already rejected the Congress in the panchayat and urban local body elections. The final verdict will be delivered in the assembly elections. Instead of accepting the people’s mandate, the government is registering false cases against BJP leaders and workers and misusing the police and administration to suppress democratic voices,” said Thakur while addressing the gathering.
Thakur claimed that false criminal cases had been registered against BJP leaders, including state president Rajeev Bindal, MLAs Sudhir Sharma, Ashish Sharma, Hoshiar Singh, Rajendra Rana and others, accusing the government of targeting opposition leaders and even newly elected panchayat and district council representatives.
“BJP would raise these issues during the upcoming Assembly session beginning August 21 while simultaneously intensifying its agitation across the state,” he said.
Thakur also warned the government officials against acting under political pressure, saying accountability would follow if authority was misused.
Announcing the next phase of the agitation, BJP state president Rajiv Bindal said, “Today’s protest marked only the beginning of a sustained mass movement against the Congress government. BJP will organise protests every month in every assembly constituency and every Mandal until this anti-people Congress government is removed from power.”
BJP MLA from Dharmashala, Sudhir Sharma said, “If the state government and the CM believe the BJP’s voice can be silenced by filing false cases or sending its members to jail, they are making a grave mistake. Every BJP worker will continue to fight vigorously for the rights of the people and the interests of the state”.
BJP lacks ‘genuine’ issues: Congress
Meanwhile, the Congress has said that BJP lacks “genuine” issues against the state government
Reacting to the protest, the state Congress president Vinay Kumar said, “BJP lacks any genuine issue against the government. State’s Congress government has a zero-tolerance policy regarding corruption and will never compromise on this stance. BJP cannot mislead the state by spreading falsehoods, noting that the party’s duplicitous nature has been exposed to the public.”
Meanwhile, the chief minister’s principal media advisor, Naresh Chauhan termed the demonstrations as “politically driven” rather than by issues concerning the public.
Revenue minister Jagat Singh Negi said no wrongful action was being taken by the government: “Government is taking action against corruption. If anyone finds the government’s actions improper, they should approach the courts. The government is proceeding legally, and no wrongful actions are being taken.”
