Shimla: Leader of Opposition Jairam Thakur launched a fierce attack on the Congress-led Himachal Pradesh government, accusing it of incompetence and erratic decision-making. Thakur’s criticism came in response to the government’s controversial notification abolishing vacant posts, which sparked widespread backlash and led to a swift U-turn within a day.
During a press conference in Shimla on Saturday, Thakur slammed the Sukhu administration, calling it a “flip-flop government” that frequently changes its stance. “The Congress government has made itself a laughing stock, not just in the state but across the country. First, they issued a notification to abolish posts that had been vacant for over two years. Then, due to public outcry, they retracted it the very next day with backdated changes,” Thakur said.
He accused the Congress government of breaking its election promises, particularly regarding job creation. “They came to power by promising five lakh jobs. In their first cabinet meeting, they announced one lakh jobs, but two years later, instead of fulfilling that promise, they’re eliminating 1.50 lakh vacant posts,” Thakur added. He further criticized the government’s reliance on a 2012 notification from the Dhumal government, claiming it had been misused to justify the recent decision. “There was no mention of abolishing posts in that notification,” he clarified.
The opposition leader emphasized that the Sukhu government’s decisions have caused confusion and frustration among the public. “They issued the notification on October 23, but after receiving sharp reactions from the public, they tried to cover it up by issuing another notification the following morning with a backdate,” Thakur pointed out. He claimed that such inconsistent decision-making was harming the credibility of the Congress government.
Thakur also took a jab at Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri, who had reportedly dismissed the backlash by suggesting that the media and the opposition had not fully understood the notification. “It seems like only two people in the universe—both in the government—have complete knowledge of what’s going on,” Thakur remarked sarcastically.
He criticized the government’s failure to address public concerns, mentioning additional grievances such as the ongoing issue of the controversial “toilet tax” and the recently imposed HRTC luggage tax. “The Chief Minister appears powerless to act against officials making these mistakes, and instead, he’s part of the problem. He makes errors and then shifts the blame onto others,” Thakur added.
Thakur also highlighted internal discontent within the Congress party, referring to recent meetings held by Congress MLAs in Bilaspur and other locations. “The Congress MLAs and leaders are dissatisfied with the failures of their government. They’re meeting behind the scenes because they know things are falling apart,” he said. The BJP, according to Thakur, is closely watching these developments and will provide more details in the future.
