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Taking a sharp swipe at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over its 'Arajkata Hatao' rally in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday claimed that the opposition party is divided into five factions and asserted that the Congress will return to power in the 2027 Assembly elections with an increased mandate.
Reacting to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarmas remarks that he would attend the next oath-taking ceremony of a BJP Chief Minister in the hill state, Sukhu quipped that the Congress would gladly invite Sarma to its swearing-in ceremony instead. "When the next oath-taking ceremony of the Congress government takes place in Himachal Pradesh, all Chief Ministers of the states will be invited. We will also invite the Chief Minister of Assam," Sukhu said, adding that Sarma had been brought to Himachal only to consolidate the BJP's warring internal groups. "Why was there a need to bring the Chief Minister of Assam here? The BJP is divided into five factions, and they brought him here to consolidate those factions," the Chief Minister said. Expressing confidence about the Congress' prospects in 2027, Sukhu stated that the BJP's seat tally would decline further. "I can say with confidence that the BJP is divided into five factions and will get even fewer seats this time. Its 16 MLAs have not yet reached a position where they can win again. You should have faith in what I am saying. When the results come, I will ask you as well," he remarked. The Chief Minister also mounted a staunch defence of the opposition's November 1 rally at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, dismissing the BJPs claim that it was a "flop show". "Raising the voice of the public through rallies and movements is the responsibility of the opposition. This is the characteristic of democracy. A large rally was held, and a significant number of people participated. I am glad that people have accepted the issue being raised by our respected leader Rahul Gandhi against SIR. A large number of people from Himachal Pradesh also participated," he said. Countering Sarma's accusations regarding electronic voting machines (EVMs) and SIR, Sukhu pointed out the sequence of events. "Questions were raised on EVMs after 2024, whereas our elections took place in 2022. This is something to understand. Since when has the opposition to SIR started? These are all things that need to be examined," he noted. On the state's fiscal health, the Chief Minister defended his administration's financial management, asserting that the state has sustained momentum despite the discontinuation of the Revenue Deficit Grant (RDG) of around 8,00010,000 crore. "Through system transformation, the Congress government has tried to make Himachal Pradesh self-reliant. Despite the discontinuation of Rs 8,000-10,000 crore in RDG, we have sustained ourselves and are moving rapidly towards making the state self-reliant," he said, drawing an analogy to a household managing its budget after a salary cut. Sukhu added that despite tight financial constraints, the government continues to disburse a five per cent dearness allowance (DA) to employees. "We will make Himachal self-reliant. The wealth of Himachal will neither be allowed to be looted nor will we loot it ourselves. We will not allow anyone to loot it," Sukhu asserted. (ANI)
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