Jai Ram Thakur Slams Congress Over PRI Poll Delay, Calls for Respecting Court Orders
Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur attended the BJP Panchayati Raj cell’s executive committee meeting in Una today, where party leaders discussed strategies for the upcoming Panchayati Raj elections.
Speaking to the media before the meeting, Thakur accused the state Congress government of deliberately trying to postpone the elections by citing the Disaster Management Act. He pointed out that although seven months have passed since the disaster struck Himachal, the government has failed to provide relief to affected families or repair damaged infrastructure, often blaming lack of funds.
The former Chief Minister reminded that elections to Panchayati Raj Institutions are held every five years. He noted that citizens had approached the High Court against the delay, and the court has directed the government to complete preparations by February and hold elections in April. Thakur criticized the Chief Minister for opposing the court’s orders, saying the High Court should consider contempt proceedings against him.
Thakur also targeted the Congress leadership for protesting against the Centre’s ‘Viksit Bharat’ Gram G scheme, calling it unprecedented for a Chief Minister and Cabinet colleagues to oppose a central initiative. He clarified that the scheme is not replacing MGNREGA but strengthening it, and accused the Congress of misleading people.
