Jai Ram Thakur reduced to role of Kangana's introducer: Himachal Deputy CM Mukesh Agnihotri

Himachal Pradesh: BJP leader and former chief minister Jai Ram Thakur has been reduced to the role of introducing Kangana Ranaut, actor and the party's candidate from Mandi, Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri has said.

Agnihotri, who was in Ghaluwal in Una district for a workers' conference, said on Monday that the Congress is contesting the Lok Sabha elections with seriousness and, therefore, the victory of his party's Mandi candidate, "Vikramaditya Singh was a foregone conclusion".

"Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur was earlier considering himself as the star campaigner of Himachal Pradesh, but now he has become only an introducer of Mandi parliamentary constituency candidate Kangana," the deputy CM of Himachal Pradesh said.

Referring to the resignation of three Independent legislators, who had voted in favour of BJP Rajya Sabha nominee Harsh Mahajan along with six former Congress MLAs on February 27, the Congress leader said that it seems that Thakur had drowned them too as they had no compulsion to resign.

He also alleged that Thakur was in a hurry to grab power in the state and as a result operation Lotus failed in Himachal. "He (Thakur) is being scolded by the BJP high command for not succeeding in his drive to topple the democratically elected Congress government in the state," Agnihotri said.

The deputy CM said the BJP should not consider themselves as the only devotees of Lord Ram.

"The BJP built the Ram temple in Ayodhya but we all have also been in its favour too. We will also go to pay our obeisance in the grand temple," Agnihotri said, adding that temples are centre of faith but the saffron party is using them to gain votes.