Shimla, Oct 2 — Former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Friday paid floral tributes to the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, and former Prime Minister and Bharat Ratna awardee Lal Bahadur Shastri on their birth anniversaries at their statues on the historic Ridge in Shimla.
On the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, the Leader of the Opposition also participated in a cleanliness drive, appreciating the contribution of sanitation workers and urging the state government to consider their demands sympathetically.
Speaking to the media after paying tributes, Thakur said Mahatma Gandhi’s ideals of truth, non-violence, sacrifice and Satyagraha, which gave the nation a new direction, continue to inspire people even today.
He also remembered Lal Bahadur Shastri, describing him as a symbol of simplicity, honesty, dedication to duty and firm leadership.
Thakur said Shastri’s famous slogan, “Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan”, continues to inspire respect for the country’s soldiers and farmers and recognises their invaluable contributions.
Responding to questions regarding his visit to Delhi, Thakur said he had held detailed discussions with Union ministers on various development projects related to Himachal Pradesh, the functioning of the present state government and organisational matters.
He said discussions covered several issues relating to governance and the party organisation, while feedback was also sought on ongoing schemes and ways to ensure that the state benefits from them.
He added that Union ministers continue to extend support to Himachal Pradesh.
Launching an attack on the Congress government in the state, Thakur alleged that despite claiming to be employee-friendly, the government had left employees and pensioners with no option but to stage protests.
He said Junior Basic Training (JBT) teachers had been agitating for several days over their legitimate demands, but the Chief Minister and his ministers had not found time to listen to their grievances.
Taking a dig at Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Thakur said the Chief Minister had announced the launch of the ‘Mukhyamantri Apna Parivar Sukhi Parivar Yojana’ on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti but had failed to do so.
He alleged that even senior Congress leaders were not taking the Chief Minister seriously and claimed that several programmes and schemes had repeatedly been postponed because of the unavailability of time from the party’s central leadership.
Thakur also accused the Chief Minister of neglecting development work and focusing primarily on his close associates.
He claimed that this was the reason ministers frequently travelled to Delhi to raise their grievances before the party’s central leadership.