Former Union Minister and Hamirpur MP Anurag Thakur on Friday launched a sharp attack on the Congress government in Himachal, alleging that the state administration had turned into a “Government of Cronies” where governance was being driven by the interests of friends and close associates rather than the welfare of the public.
Addressing a public meeting in Solan, Anurag accused the Congress government of pushing the hill state into severe financial distress through “flawed policies and economic mismanagement.” He claimed that Himachal’s debt had crossed Rs 1,12,319 crore and said that dragging a small state into such a crisis within just three years reflected the Congress government’s “biggest failure.”
The BJP leader alleged that despite making several guarantees before coming to power, the Congress government had failed to fulfil its promises and was now “mired in corruption.” He said developmental works in the Solan MC had virtually come to a standstill and accused the government of limiting itself to announcements without implementation on the ground.
Raising the issue of the Bhagat Urban Cooperative Bank crisis, he said no effective action had yet been taken against those responsible for allegedly defrauding poor depositors. He pointed out that despite restrictions imposed by the RBI on October 8, 2025, no action had been initiated against officials accused of disbursing unsecured loans that pushed the bank into crisis. He asserted that the BJP would seek an inquiry into the role of officials responsible for jeopardising the hard-earned savings of depositors.
Targeting CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu over water tariffs in Solan, Thakur alleged that the government was misleading the public. Referring to the CM’s statement that water charges had been fixed at Rs 13 per 100 litre, he termed the claim “factually incorrect”. He said the Cabinet had decided in August 2025 to transfer the Solan MC’s water distribution system to the Jal Shakti Department, but the decision was yet to be implemented. Instead, he claimed, water rates had been increased to Rs 100 per kilolitre from September 2024, burdening the civic body with a liability of nearly Rs 149 crore.
Anurag further alleged that despite the CM announcing a Rs 1 crore allocation for each ward of Solan two months ago, no funds had been released so far. Calling the state government “slumbering”, he urged voters to give a “democratic rebuke” to Congress in the upcoming municipal elections and promised that a BJP-led Solan MC would work towards making the city cleaner, safer, greener and smarter.
