Shimla, Dec 12 (Representative) Taking a swipe at detractors, Himachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri on Wednesday advised state bureaucrats to stop speculating about the longevity of the Congress government. Addressing a rally marking two years of Congress rule at Lahuno Ground in Bilaspur, Agnihotri asserted that the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led government is here to stay for its full term and beyond. “I urge the Chief Secretary to remind officers that their duty lies in serving the public, not in daydreaming about the government’s fall. The BJP’s so-called ‘Mission Lotus’ has wilted, and the Congress will not only complete its term but also return to power. Let this be a lesson: governments are not toppled by whispers in bureaucratic corridors,” he declared. In a sharp retort to former Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, Agnihotri dismissed claims that the state government is financially crippled and unable to pay salaries. “I challenge Mr. Thakur to prove that any driver or conductor in HRTC has not received their salary. If he does, I’ll resign. But since he cannot, perhaps he should resign from his penchant for spreading baseless lies,” he said. On toilet tax and pressure cooker politics, he turned up the heat on the BJP, mocking Thakur for “cooking up stories” about alleged taxes on pressure cookers and public toilets. “If Mr. Thakur is so obsessed with toilets, I suggest he sit in one and tally up his imaginary ‘toilet tax.’ This government is busy building infrastructure, not manufacturing political stunts,” he jibed. Agnihotri also revealed plans to overhaul the state’s public transport system by replacing the aging 2,400-bus fleet with electric buses at a cost of Rs 700 crore. “While the BJP is busy claiming credit for Theog Bus Stand, let me remind them that this project was completed by Congress.
Their only contribution to public transport seems to be parking themselves in opposition,” he quipped. The Deputy CM announced a Rs 2,000 crore ropeway project in Shimla, touting it as a future global benchmark for mobility. “The BJP talks big about their ‘achievements,’ but let’s face it, the Congress is building the future while they’re stuck debating the past,” he said. Responding to allegations about selling public assets, Agnihotri said: “No HPTDC hotel, including the Wildflower Hall, will be sold under Congress rule. If anyone is guilty of putting public properties on the chopping block, it’s the BJP. We all remember the fiasco during their so-called Global Investors’ Meet. The Congress will preserve and expand state assets—not auction them off on some shady website.” Promising to address unemployment, Agnihotri assured that results of the Hamirpur Subordinate Services Commission exams would be announced within a month. “The BJP left us with unemployment and debt, but we’ll leave behind jobs and growth. That’s the Congress way,” he said. In his closing remarks, Agnihotri reminded the BJP that the Congress has completed two years in power despite their “constant tantrums” and will continue to serve the people for the remaining three years. “Instead of plotting our fall, they should focus on getting up from their own. Himachal has no room for their doomsday politics,” he concluded.