SHIMLA: Indian National Congress has released a 23-paged charge sheet against the Jai Ram Thakur-led BJP government. Jai Ram Thakur would go down as a "weakest Chief Minister running Himachal through a remote control from Dellhi", Congress claimed.
Entitled as “Loot Ki Choot ”, Congress chargesheet has named all except three ministers- Suresh Bhardwaj, Ram Lal Markanda and Sarveen Chaudhary, by levelling charges of corruption against the rest of the Ministers.
The Congress chargesheet was released to the media on Saturday by All India Congress Committee media incharge Pawan Khera, Congress spokesperson Alka Lamba, leader of opposition Mukesh Agnihotri, chairman, campaign committees Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Congress state media incharge Naresh Chauhan at Rajeev Bhawan in Shimla.
Congress chargesheet did not level any charges of individual corruption.
Chargecheet has targeted horticulture and jal shakti minister Mahendra Singh Thakur, the food and civil supplies minister Rajendra Garg. Garg is accused of doing undue favour in promotion of his wife.
Congress leaders asserted that as soon as Congress forms its government in the state, they would constitute a high level committee to probe the charges levelled against the ministers in the charge sheet and ensure that wrong doers- be it minister or official- go to jail.
The charge sheet mentioned Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur as “weakest and ineffective CM and a stooge of Delhi, which ran the state through a remote control".
He gave a free run to the 'Afsarshahi' and notifications were changed one after the other, Congress charged.
Congress leaders claim that the Jai Ram Thakur government "didn’t spare any section of society, which was not duped/misled during his five year term".
Chargesheet hold Jal Shakti and horticulture minister responsible for exploitation of farmers and the department reeked of scams.
Congress charged that the health minister Rajiv Saijal was responsible for lack of proper services during the Covid 19 pandemic that killed over 3000 people.
Congress leaders also hold that there was a "purchase scam" in the department under energy minister Sukh Ram Choudhary.
The food civil supplies department was converted into a private limited company under Rajinder Garg, chargesheet alleged,
The education department gave jobs without proper procedure under Education Minister Gobind Thakur.
In the forest department, there was a illegal tree felling scam under the forest minister, Rakesh Pathania.
Congress leaders said they would make this chargesheet as a weapon taking it to the voters across the state.
The chargesheet would be made available at the booth level so that every citizen of the state come to know about the wrong doings and irregularities committed by the BJP government during its 5 years rule.
Taking a dig at the BJP, Pawan Khera said if the government imposes GST on 'Jumlas' of the present government, then they would be able to raise Rs 72,000 crore which can meet out the debt of the state that BJP has pushed Himachal into for the last five years.
Khera said there is a competition among all BJP- ruled states in paper leakage cases. BJP rule is synonymous with unemployment, corruption and rising prices and inflation, he claimed.
As many as 22 paper leakage cases have been reported in BJP ruled Gujarat, Khera said.
In Himachal, state government sold papers in police and patwari recruitments jeopardising future of the youth of the state, Khera charged.
Leader of the opposition Mukesh Agnihotri said that the Jai Ram Thakur will go down as the chief minister in whose term jobs were sold”.
He claimed BJP government wasted Rs 500 crore public money on publicity bringing crowds at rallies. The expenditure bills are still pending in the DC offices.
As soon as the Congress government is formed, they will send these bills back to BJP leaders for payment, he claimed.
Chairman to Congress campaign committee Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that those responsible for the corruption will be sent to jail when Congress government comes to power.
It is not a question of charge sheet but it is the corruption that took place in Corona period, Sukhu alleged.
For the last 5 years, the Jai Ram Thakur run the government through a remote control from Delhi. It was one of the weakest government that people of Himachal ever had.
Sukku said that the BJP government was misleading the people diverting the attention from the burning issues that plague the state today.
What BJP said on Congress Chargesheet:
Commenting on the chargesheet submitted by the Congress to the governor, senior BJP leader and President of HP state Cooperative bank, Khushi Ram Balnatah termed Congress chargesheet as nothing but an election ploy as it was brought out few days before election.
The Congress charge sheet has failed to level specific charges against the present government which gave a free and fair governance to the people of the state for the last 5 years. 
Balnatah said the government has constituted special investigation team which investigated paper leakage case and brought those responsible for the leakage to justice.
As far as the jobs in Group 3-4 categories are concerned, this rule was brought in by the Congress.
He said now present government has changed this as it has made compulsory for group 3-4 jobs to pass out 10th and 12th from Himachal Pradesh.
Balnatah said that the BJP government took over in 2017. It had inherited the debt over Rs 48,000 crore from the Congress government.
He said there was no development works, while the state government did not pay any benefits to the state employee under the new Pay Commission.
