People of Sujanpur made a mistake in 2017 by defeating Prem Kumar Dhumal, who was then the BJP’s chief minister face, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu Friday said, adding that it reflected in saffron party’s Cabinet as no legislator from Hamirpur was given ministerial berth. He further said that the people of Barsar made a mistake by electing Congress turncoats during the 2024 byelection.
“In 2017, the BJP projected that their next chief minister would be from Hamirpur. Instead, not one MLA from the area was inducted a minister, and development came to a standstill,” Sukhu said.
Dhumal, a two time CM, had lost to Congress’s Rajinder Rana in 2017 by margin of 1,919 votes. Rana also won the seat in 2022. He was among six Congress MLAs who voted for the BJP candidate in the Rajya Sabha bypolls last year and later switched over to the saffron party.
Addressing a rally after inaugurating projects worth Rs 41.52 crore in Barsar Assembly segment of Hamirpur, Sukhu also expressed disappointment over the outcome of the 2024 bypolls, stating that the area elected a turncoat who was among those who had made an attempt to topple the Congress government in the state.
“In 2024, attempts were made to topple our government. Two MLAs from the Hamirpur district switched their loyalty towards BJP, and I could never have imagined that the MLA from Barsar (Inder Dutt Lakhanpal) would be amongst them,” Sukhu said.
Lakhanpal was re-elected from Barsar on BJP ticket following a bypoll.
“The people of Sujanpur made a mistake in 2017 by defeating Dhumal, and the people of Barsar repeated the mistake in 2024,” Sukhu said.
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“Our government has restarted development in Hamirpur for its people,” he said, adding that Barsar is his home and that stalling its development was never his intention. “The development of Barsar is a contribution of the Congress. Projects worth crores of rupees are underway,” he said.
“I urge the people of Barsar to abandon political rigidity and walk with the Congress government, which focuses on development rather than doing petty politics,” Sukhu said.
Lakhanpal was present during the inauguration ceremony. “Although I didn’t receive any official communication about the CM’s visit in my constituency, I came here after coming to know about through the media reports and welcomed the CM,” he told mediapersons.”
The chief minister also addressed the seven BJP MPs from Himachal, claiming that one was “stolen” from the Congress. He asked them to advocate for the Rs 1,500 crore disaster relief package promised by the prime minister during a visit to Kangra. “Our government is ready to accompany the BJP MPs to the prime minister to secure this relief amount,” he added.
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Sukhu further targeted the former BJP government regarding the allotment of industrial plots, alleging that the state’s resources were wasted under the guise of “customised packages.” He announced a reduction in employment opportunities in the Indian Army due to the introduction of the Agniveer scheme, but mentioned that 800 positions would soon be filled in the police department.
“During the previous government, the police recruitment examination paper was leaked out, but our government conducted recruitment with complete transparency,” he reiterated.
Earlier, after inaugurating and laying the foundation for development projects worth Rs 41.52 crore, Sukhu announced the upgrade of the Barsar hospital to a 100-bed facility and stated that Rs 300 crore is being allocated for the Cancer Institute at Hamirpur Medical College. Additionally, he said, plans are in place to open an indoor stadium and a parking facility in Barsar, as well as to introduce MA and M.Com classes in the local government college and install solar and high-mast lights in various gram panchayats and the main market.
Launching a scathing attack on the BJP, Sukhu said that during their tenure, the party constructed buildings worth Rs 1,000 crore in the name of development, which now remain unused. “Moreover, they announced the opening of 600 schools just before the general elections without making any provisions for teaching staff,” he added.
