Jai Ram Thakur’s ‘dislodge Holy Lodge’ jibe draws Vikramaditya Singh’s retort
Jai Ram Thakur criticizes CM Sukhu for alleged Congress factionalism, claiming the 'Holy Lodge' is sidelined, while ministers deny infighting and corruption claims.
Leader of Opposition in the assembly Jai Ram Thakur once again targeted chief minister (CM) Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu over alleged factionalism in the Congress, accusing him of sidelining the “Holy Lodge”.
The residence of former CM Virbhadra Singh, “Holy Lodge” has become synonymous with the family and their loyalists.
Talking of alleged factionalism in the Congress, Jai Ram said, “The sole agenda of Sukhu is to have a ‘Holy Lodge-Mukt Congress’. his agenda is to sideline the ‘Holly Lodge faction’ of the Congress and the infighting is paralysing governance.”
“Himachal government is gearing up to hold a grand function scheduled for December 11, 2024, in Bilaspur, but the ministers and state president of Congress are unaware. This speaks volumes of the prevalent factionalism in the Congress,” he added.
State PWD minister and Virbhadra Singh’s son, Vikramaditya, however, hits back at Jai Ram, saying “The Holy Lodge is blessed by Goddess Bhimakali and Lord Ram. No one has the power to dislodge it. Such statements are unnecessary and unbecoming of a leader.”
“The organisation is the bridge between the people and the government. It ensures public issues are effectively presented to the administration. Despite attempts to destabilize us, the government continues to advance with resilience,” Singh said.
State party president, Pratibha Singh, who is wife Virbhadra Singh, also denied factionalism in the party, saying, “There is nothing of this sort and no one is trying to dislodge anyone.”
Jai Ram, meanwhile, continued his tirade against the Congress government, alleging rampant corruption, policy failures, and lack of governance.
Thakur declared that the BJP would take to the streets in protest against what he termed as the “worst two years in the history of Himachal” and alleged “in the Congress government the state is on sale”.
“Himachal is now on sale. The government has crossed all limits of corruption and mismanagement,” he said, highlighting that the state’s debt has surged past ₹90,000 crore in just two years—a figure equivalent to what previous governments accumulated in five years.
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