Former CM and Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur has alleged that the Congress government in Himachal has now embarked on an anti-public path, as it has decided to use public money for image building.

“The CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu led government is approving the recruitment of two people for every minister. Their services will be utilized to enhance the image of the minister despite having a large government department, an army of advisors and a huge army for the image building of the government, the government’s image has not improved. There is a need to work on ground to brighten the image of the government, not to spread lies,” he said, in a statement issued here on Monday.

“The government thinks that it came to power by telling lies, in the same way it can remain in power by creating a false image. The Chief Minister will have to come out of this pretence and work on the ground for the people,” he said.

Thakur said that how could a patient who has been visiting the hospital for a year for treatment get the benefit of the image of the government.

“The life of a helpless person lying on the bed can be changed only by ‘Sahara’ Pension, which the government has stopped for a long time, and not by shining the image of the government. Can the government not give pensions to such few needy people of the state so that their life can be made a little easier,” he said.

“People have to wander for small tests. A patient admitted in Kamala Nehru Hospital (KNH) has to go to Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) for tests. Police forces are being used to stop physically challenged people from going to the secretariat. They are being treated inhumanely,” he added.

“The youth of the state have been protesting at the gate of the commission for a year to release the results of the examination and the Sukhu government is worried about its image. What can be more shameful than this,” he pointed out.

Regarding recent decisions of the state government, Thakur said that the government has money to shine its image but does not have money to give electricity subsidy, whereas to win the elections, it had given a guarantee of giving 300 units of free electricity.

“There is no money to provide employment to the youth and release the pending results, whereas the government came to power by announcing to provide one lakh jobs every year. The government does not have money for start-up funds for the youth, salaries for outsourced workers, pensions for corporation pensioners, medical expenses for the elderly, and liabilities of employees. The Chief Minister has deviated from the objective of discharging the responsibilities of the government. Where he is concerned about his image, not the interests of the people of the state,” he added.

“The CM should instead think about doing work so that he can look into the eyes of the people of the state,” he said.