Former Himachal Pradesh chief minister Jai Ram Thakur on Saturday said Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu should not make false and malicious allegations against the six party leaders who recently switched from the Congress.
Thakur, who is the Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly, said Sukhu should maintain the dignity of his office and refrain from inappropriate comments.
Six Congress rebels voted for the BJP’s candidate for the Rajya Sabha polls. After being disqualified for defying a Congress party whip, the rebels joined the BJP, which gave them bypoll tickets from the same assembly constituencies. The chief minister has attacked the six leaders, saying they were sold for Rs 15 crore each. He also hit out at Thakur saying the BJP has grabbed power using money before but he would not let that happen in Himachal Pradesh.
Thakur, addressing media persons on Saturday, said some rebels have sent legal notices for defamation to Sukhu while others are seeking a legal opinion, which would add to his problems. Former Congress MLA Sudhir Sharma, one of the rebels, and now a BJP candidate from Dharashala assembly bypoll, has sent a defamation notice to Sukhu asking for a Rs 5-crore compensation for his remarks.
Referring to an application filed by Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi in the Himachal Pradesh High Court challenging the interpretation of the draw of lots rule, Thakur said he has the right to put forth his objection. Singhvi was the Congress candidate who lost the Rajya Sabha polls to BJP’s Harsh Mahajan. The decision was made after a draw of lots when there was a tie in the poll.
Thakur said despite the BJP having 25 MLAs in the 68-member assembly against 40 MLAs of the Congress, both the candidates polled 34 votes each and the BJP candidate Harsh Mahajan was declared winner by the draw of lots and has already taken oath as member of Rajya Sabha. It was the result of hard work and sacrifices of party leaders that BJP has become the largest party and the people have faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s guarantees, Thakur said. Three independent MLAs also backed the BJP candidate.
Asserting that the Sukhu government has lost majority, he said that Congress rebels, who are now BJP leaders, were expelled to save the government. Thakur said that besides the six rebels, many more MLAs are fed up with the Congress and feeling suffocated and the chief minister’s outbursts show his frustration and insecurity.
Meanwhile the BJP on Saturday celebrated the 45th Foundation Day of the party across the state. Media in-charge of the BJP’s state unit, Karan Nanda, spoke on the journey of the party, which rose from just two seats in Lok Sabha in 1984 to 303 seats in 2019.
The BJP is heading towards a landslide victory in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, breaching the 370-seat mark, he added.
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