BJP MP Anurag Thakur on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, claimed that the Modi government has delivered several times more rail infrastructure work in Himachal Pradesh in 12 years than the Congress managed across 70 years. The Hamirpur MP made the assertion on X, pointing to the state's rail network expansion as a key benchmark of governance performance.

Context

Thakur's post, written in Hindi, states: 'Himachal Pradesh ke rail network vistar mein Congress ke 70 saalon mein jitna kaam nahin hua, usse kai guna zyada kaam Modi sarkar ke 12 varshon mein hua hai' — 'The work that did not happen in Congress's 70 years for Himachal Pradesh's rail network expansion has been done several times over in the Modi government's 12 years.' The post is accompanied by a video and is geotagged to Himachal Pradesh.

The claim is a pointed political contrast ahead of what has been an ongoing national conversation about infrastructure delivery in India's hill states. Himachal Pradesh has historically suffered from limited rail connectivity owing to its rugged Himalayan terrain, with the Kalka-Shimla and Pathankot-Jogindernagar narrow-gauge heritage lines being the most recognised routes in the state.

Policy Backdrop

Rail expansion in hill states has been a declared priority of the central government since 2014. The merger of the Railway Budget with the General Budget in 2017 was aimed at increasing funding flexibility for capital-intensive projects, including those in difficult terrain such as Himachal Pradesh. The PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, launched in 2021, further sought to coordinate multi-modal infrastructure planning across ministries to accelerate project delivery in geographically challenging regions.

Among the significant ongoing projects in the state is the Bhanupali-Bilaspur-Beri new broad-gauge rail line, which has been under various stages of planning and construction over successive governments. Project execution across administrations has been constrained by environmental clearances, land acquisition hurdles, and difficult topography — factors that have historically slowed progress regardless of the party in power at the Centre.

Stakeholders and Impact

Improved rail connectivity in Himachal Pradesh is of direct consequence to the state's residents, its tourism-dependent economy, and local businesses that rely on affordable freight and passenger movement. The state attracts millions of domestic and international tourists annually to destinations such as Shimla, Manali, and Dharamshala, and better rail links are widely seen as a way to ease road congestion and reduce travel costs.

For Anurag Thakur, who represents Hamirpur constituency and has been a prominent BJP voice on development issues in the state, rail infrastructure is also a politically salient issue. The Congress-led state government in Himachal Pradesh and the BJP at the Centre have frequently traded charges over the pace of central project funding and execution in the state.

What's Next

Attention will now turn to the completion timeline of ongoing lines, particularly the Bhanupali-Bilaspur corridor, and to whether the upcoming Union Railway Budget carries fresh allocations or revised project deadlines for Himachal Pradesh. Any announced milestones or inauguration events in the state are likely to sharpen the political debate that Thakur's post has reignited. The broader question of quantified delivery — how much track, how many stations, and at what cost — will determine whether the comparative claim holds up to independent scrutiny.