Heated arguments erupted in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly on the last day of the Monsoon Session after the Opposition accused the state government of withholding information about the disbursement of funds to registered Mahila Mandals during the Dehra by-election last year.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s wife Kamlesh Thakur won the bypoll.
BJP Hamirpur MLA Ashish Sharma raised the issue, alleging that the government deliberately avoided answering questions on the matter. “The question was listed yesterday and today as well, but no information was provided,” former CM and Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur said.
Later, speaking with the media outside the House, the LoP claimed that Rs 4,500 was credited to accounts of several women ahead of the by-election. “The chief minister misused his power during the polls. This is nothing less than a daylight robbery of people’s votes. The Congress accuses others of stealing votes across the country, but its own chief minister is doing the same in Himachal,” Jai Ram alleged.
The LoP said the Congress government misled voters with false guarantees and usurped the state’s mandate. “This is a government of friends that cares for no one else. The CM and his ministers keep lying, from the Assembly to the streets. Even in the House, the government makes a mockery of serious issues,” Jai Ram alleged.
The former CM accused the Sukhu government of putting Himachal Pradesh “on sale” by attempting to sell prime assets, including land belonging to Palampur Agriculture University, a move halted by the court.
“The government has failed to protect the state’s interests and cannot accelerate development through lies. It cannot present even a single achievement in the Assembly and remained on the backfoot throughout,” he said.
