Himachal Pradesh News
Jagat Singh Negi Hits Back at Shiv Pratap Shukla Over ‘Work Culture’ Remark, Raises Tribal Land Issue in Himachal Pradesh
A fresh political exchange has surfaced in Himachal Pradesh after Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi strongly criticized former Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla over his remarks on the state’s work culture.
A fresh political exchange has surfaced in Himachal Pradesh after Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi strongly criticized former Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla over his remarks on the state’s work culture.
Speaking on Wednesday, Negi questioned Shukla’s comments, saying the former Governor should first reflect on his own tenure before judging the state administration.
“Shukla should have looked at his own work culture during his three-year tenure before making such remarks about Himachal,” Negi said. He alleged that an important file related to granting nautor land to tribal communities remained pending with the Governor for nearly three years.
The controversy began after Shukla, during his final media interaction as Governor, remarked that he had observed a lack of work culture in the state and warned that Himachal Pradesh could fall behind if this issue was not addressed.
Negi strongly objected to another statement by Shukla, in which the former Governor claimed that he did not receive adequate information from the state government regarding the nautor land matter.
Calling the comment “irresponsible,” Negi said he had personally met the Governor multiple times to discuss the issue.
“I met him eight times regarding the nautor land matter. Each time, he said he was studying the issue. If any information was missing, he had every authority to ask the government for it,” the minister said.
Negi also expressed disappointment over what he described as a missed opportunity to help tribal communities during Shukla’s tenure.
According to the minister, Schedule 5 of the Indian Constitution gives significant powers to the Governor to take special decisions for the welfare of tribal populations.
“The Governor has the authority to suspend or amend certain rules of the state or the Union government when it comes to tribal welfare. If the Forest Conservation Act (FCA) had been suspended as requested, eligible tribal families could have received land,” Negi explained.
He further stressed that distributing nautor land would have helped reduce migration from border areas. Many young people, he said, could have built sustainable livelihoods locally if they had access to land.
Negi added that he now plans to take the issue forward with the newly appointed Governor, hoping the matter will finally move ahead in the interest of tribal communities.
