Congress Government’s tenure marked by strong achievements: Sukhu
Urges party workers to take government’s achievements and welfare schemes to every household
Rajni Patil calls for regular and active organizational meetings
Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu addressed the Pradesh Congress organizational general meeting at HP Congress Party Headquarters, Rajiv Gandhi Bhawan and said that the Congress government has delivered a remarkable and achievement-oriented tenure over the past three and a half years. He said that the government has ensured balanced development for every section of society while maintaining fiscal discipline despite facing unprecedented financial challenges.
The Chief Minister said that the state government has consistently fought for Himachal Pradesh’s rightful interests at every platform, resulting in a significant improvement in the state’s revenue resources. He urged party workers to actively communicate the government’s achievements and welfare initiatives to the people and make effective use of social media so that every eligible beneficiary is aware of and can avail the benefits of government schemes.
Expressing confidence in the party’s future, the Chief Minister said that the Congress would once again form the government in Himachal Pradesh after the 2027 Assembly elections. He appealed to party workers to strengthen the organization at the grassroots level and said that he would personally participate in all Block Congress Committee conferences scheduled over the next six months.
Shri Sukhu said the Congress government has fulfilled every guarantee made to the people and remains committed to delivering more people-centric governance in the coming years. He said that preparations were underway to organize rallies of Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi across the state during the next three months.
Taking a dig at the BJP, the Chief Minister said the opposition remains divided and has failed to safeguard the interests of Himachal Pradesh. He expressed confidence that the BJP’s political strength would decline further in the coming elections and claimed that several BJP leaders and legislators were ready to join the Congress.
Highlighting key achievements, the Chief Minister said that the government fulfilled one of its major commitments by restoring the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) for nearly 1.36 lakh employees in its very first Cabinet meeting. He said the government has successfully overcome severe financial constraints, political challenges and the devastating natural disaster that struck the state, while continuing to accelerate development and public welfare.
He said that the Central Government discontinued the Revenue Deficit Grant (RDG), causing Himachal Pradesh an annual financial loss of nearly Rs. 8,000 to Rs. 10,000 crore. He said that while the previous BJP government received around Rs. 47,000 crore under RDG and Rs. 13,000 crore as GST compensation over five years, the present Congress government has received only about Rs. 17,000 crore in central support.
The Chief Minister said the state government was implementing several initiatives to strengthen the rural economy and improve livelihoods. He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to providing world-class healthcare within the state by investing nearly Rs. 3,000 crore to replace outdated medical equipment and develop healthcare facilities comparable to AIIMS standards.
He said the government has ushered in a new era in healthcare by introducing robotic surgery for the first time in the state and making PET Scan facilities operational. He said that in education sector, the government has undertaken historic reforms through rationalization measures aimed at ensuring quality education for every student.
Addressing the gathering, AICC In-charge for Himachal Pradesh Rajni Patil said that party workers were the backbone of the organization. She urged them to effectively communicate the Congress government’s achievements to the people and emphasized that organizational meetings should be held regularly and with active participation to strengthen the party at every level.
Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee President Vinay Kumar spoke about the party’s organizational expansion campaign, raising public issues and ensuring that government schemes reach every household across the state.
Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri stressed that discipline and responsibility were the foundation of a strong organization. He also accused the Central Government of discriminating against Himachal Pradesh in financial matters and called upon party workers to remain united in safeguarding the state’s interests.
AICC Co-Incharges Vidit Chaudhary and Chetan Chauhan, Cabinet Ministers, MP Anurag Sharma, former Pradesh Congress Committee presidents, MLAs, District and Block Congress Committee presidents, office bearers and senior party leaders were present on the occasion.
