Shimla, Feb 2 (PTI) – In a significant political move, the BJP MLAs in Himachal Pradesh have announced their decision to boycott the state government's meetings on developmental priorities for their constituencies, which are to be included in the upcoming budget. Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur made the announcement on Sunday, citing alleged harassment by the government.
Thakur accused the Congress-led state government of sidelining BJP legislators and victimizing them while prioritizing "defeated and rejected" Congress leaders. "What is the relevance of such meetings when the government has failed to implement the works proposed by BJP MLAs over the past two years? Instead, they are harassing and victimizing our MLAs and their families," he asserted in a statement.
The MLA priorities meetings, a tradition spanning over three decades, are scheduled for February 3 and 4 on a district-wise basis. However, this marks the first time that the main opposition party has chosen to boycott these discussions.
Thakur further alleged that BJP MLAs are being deliberately excluded from the inauguration ceremonies of projects initiated during the previous BJP regime, despite those projects nearing completion.
In a sharp attack on the government, the opposition leader accused the administration of "blatant misuse of power" following its defeat in the Rajya Sabha polls. He claimed that BJP MLAs and their family members were being implicated in false cases and even detained for hours at police stations.
Slamming the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led government, Thakur said, "The manner in which this government is misusing the police is unprecedented in Himachal’s history." He also issued a stern warning to officials allegedly involved in such acts, stating that "power is not permanent" and urging them to respect the law.
With this boycott, political tensions in the state are expected to escalate, raising questions about the future of bipartisan cooperation in developmental planning.
