Leader of Opposition (LoP) Jai Ram Thakur on Saturday criticised Congress government after an FIR was registered against BJP MP from Mandi Kangana Ranaut over her social media post concerning Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and the Gandhi family.
“I would say that through her social media handle, she has expressed her personal views and opinions. I don’t think there is anything wrong with expressing one’s views in a democracy. It is a fundamental right,” Thakur said while addressing the media in Shimla.
He said, “If we look at the way the Congress government is functioning in Himachal Pradesh at present, we can see how numerous cases have been registered against people for their social media posts.”
After a complaint by a local resident, Shimla police on Friday booked Ranaut under Sections 353 (2), 196 (1) (b) and 356 (2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The complainant alleged that the social media posts contained insinuations concerning the deaths of former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, and Congress leader Sanjay Gandhi while portraying Sonia Gandhi as a “mysterious foreign national”.
Thakur said that suppressing someone’s voice, whether it belongs to a media person or any other individual expressing their personal views, is not right. “Hundreds of cases have been registered in Himachal Pradesh over social media posts. I believe the FIR registered against Kangana Ranaut is also an attack on the freedom of expression that democracy guarantees to individuals. I don’t think such action is justified,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Thakur said that suppressing someone’s voice, whether it belongs to a media person or any other individual expressing their personal views, is not right. “Hundreds of cases have been registered in Himachal Pradesh over social media posts. I believe the FIR registered against Kangana Ranaut is also an attack on the freedom of expression that democracy guarantees to individuals. I don’t think such action is justified,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, Himachal chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s principal media advisor Naresh Chauhan on Saturday criticised Kangana Ranaut over her controversial social media remarks concerning the Gandhi family.
Chauhan, while speaking to the media, said the controversy was not an isolated incident and that even several BJP leaders in Himachal Pradesh were uncomfortable with the MP’s repeated controversial statements.
‘Sukhu govt forgot its guarantees for four years’
LoP Jai Ram Thakur on Saturday launched a sharp attack on Sukhu alleging that the Congress secured public support in the 2022 assembly elections by making false guarantees at every street corner and public gathering.
Thakur said that nearly four years of the government’s tenure have passed, but the Congress leadership failed to fulfil its promises. Now, after what he described as the Congress party’s defeat in the Panchayati Raj and urban local body elections, the CM has suddenly remembered the women of Himachal Pradesh and the guarantees made before the assembly elections.
He questioned why only a limited number of families were being included under the government’s proposed “Mukhya Mantri Apna Parivar Sukhi Parivar Yojna’ when Himachal Pradesh has more than 18 lakh families.
Notably, the Himachal cabinet on Friday cleared the ‘Mukhya Mantri Apna Parivar Sukhi Parivar Yojna’, under which eligible women in the age group of 18 to 59 years will receive financial assistance of ₹1,500 per month. A total of 3.50 lakh eligible women have been identified under the scheme.
Thakur said that the Congress had promised ₹1,500 per month to all women aged 18 to 59 years, beginning with a decision in its very first cabinet meeting. “At that time, no income limit or eligibility restrictions were mentioned.”
He claimed that approximately 28 lakh women fall within this age group in Himachal Pradesh. Calculated over 48 months, each woman would have been entitled to ₹72,000 under the original promise, amounting to approximately ₹20,000 crore in total. However, he said, the government has now announced the benefit for only 3.50 lakh eligible women.
“The CM must explain what fault lies with the remaining 24.50 lakh women. You promised the benefit to all women, but have now imposed more than ten conditions to exclude the majority. If you cannot fulfil your guarantee, you should apologise to the mothers and sisters of Himachal Pradesh,” the LoP said.