Jairam Thakur slams Panchayati Raj minister’s allegations, calls them baseless

Shimla, September 13: Leader of Opposition Jairam Thakur on Monday refuted the allegations levelled by Panchayati Raj Minister Anirudh Singh, calling them baseless and accused the Congress minister of spreading lies to hide his failures. Thakur said Singh was under pressure from the Congress high command, fearing removal from the ministerial post due to mismanagement of the Sanjauli Masjid dispute.

“The Congress minister is trying to put the blame of his shortcomings on us. Now he is changing his statements under the burden of the high command’s displeasure,” Thakur said. He claimed that after Singh’s remarks in the Assembly, the minister is under pressure from the Congress leadership, which has reportedly directed Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu to consider removing him from the post.

Thakur further alleged that the Sukhu government was trying to do “damage control” by getting false statements from Singh, but said the truth of the situation was still clear. “The Congress is using these tactics to hide its failures. The chief minister, ministers and the Congress party have all been exposed in the Sanjauli mosque case,” he said.

The opposition leader also pointed to widespread public outrage over the government’s handling of protests related to the unauthorised construction of the mosque. Thakur criticised the government’s response, including the recent police lathicharge on protesters, saying the government has failed to respect and understand public sentiments. “Instead of taking prompt action against illegal construction, the government continues to hurt public sentiments,” Thakur said.

Echoing similar sentiments, former state BJP president Suresh Kashyap also condemned the Sukhu government for its handling of the mosque controversy and the subsequent protests in Sanjauli. Kashyap accused the state administration of failing to anticipate the massive demonstration organised by Hindu organisations and questioned why schools in the area were not closed despite expected unrest.

“The administration left no stone unturned to harass the public. The use of lathicharge and water cannons on the protesters is unwarranted and condemnable,” Kashyap said. He said several innocent people were injured in the action, including a woman who was beaten up while trying to return to her home.

Kashyap demanded strict government action against the illegal construction of the mosque, saying people’s anger was growing over the issue and the government’s mismanagement was worsening the situation.