Is Himachal Heading for a Legal Showdown? Jai Ram Thakur Claims Govt May Move Supreme Court Over RDG Row

Sundernagar: Former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur has launched a sharp attack on Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu over his recent Delhi visit and the contentious Revenue Deficit Grant (RDG) issue.

Thakur claimed that the Sukhu-led government is preparing to approach the Supreme Court of India against the Centre over the discontinuation of RDG. According to him, the Chief Minister held a special meeting in Delhi with former Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram to seek legal advice on the matter.

While asserting that safeguarding the state’s interests is justified, Thakur cautioned that repeatedly blaming the Central government and adopting a confrontational approach could prove detrimental to Himachal Pradesh’s future.

BJP Workshop Turns Political

The remarks were made during a state-level workshop under the Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Training Campaign held at the BJP district office in Sundernagar, along with a meeting of the party’s state trade cell in Nerchowk. Addressing party workers, Thakur said that when RDG had been halted during his tenure, he had presented the state’s case before the Centre with dignity and firmness, leading to its restoration.

In contrast, he alleged that the current Congress government is indulging in a “politics of blame” rather than constructive dialogue.

“A Failed Delhi Visit”?

Taking a dig at the Chief Minister, Thakur remarked that Sukhu reportedly failed to secure meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi or BJP President J. P. Nadda during his Delhi trip. He further claimed that even senior leaders from Sukhu’s own party, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, did not give him adequate attention—turning the visit into what he described as a “futile exercise.”

Thakur also accused the state government of misleading MLAs ahead of the upcoming Assembly session and using the RDG issue as an excuse to backtrack on its pre-election guarantees.

Concerns Over Law & Order and Economy

Expressing concern over what he termed a “deteriorating law and order situation,” the Leader of Opposition said Himachal Pradesh is facing an unprecedented crisis. He noted that for the first time in the state’s history, natural disasters combined with what he called “wrong policy decisions” have severely weakened the state’s financial health.

He further criticized the Congress government for allegedly retreating from the 10 guarantees it had promised before coming to power.

Several senior BJP leaders were present at the workshop, including MP Vishnu Dutt Sharma, State President Dr. Rajeev Bindal, Organization General Secretary Siddharthan, General Secretary Sanjeev Katwal, Payal Vaidya, MLAs Rakesh Jamwal and Vinod Kumar, along with other party leaders.

As political temperatures rise over the RDG issue, all eyes are now on whether the Himachal government will indeed take the legal battle to the Supreme Court—potentially setting the stage for a high-stakes confrontation between the state and the Centre.