Himachal Pradesh Leader of Opposition (LoP) Jai Ram Thakur on Sunday, 27 September accused Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu of deliberately misleading Congress legislators by dangling the prospect of Ministerial berths, even as no formal proposal for a state Cabinet expansion has reportedly been submitted to the party high command. The charge sharpens an internal rift within the ruling Congress just months before the government completes four years in office.

The Accusation at the Core

Thakur, a former Chief Minister himself, alleged that Sukhu had repeatedly — both on the Assembly floor and at public meetings — promised that a sitting legislator would be inducted into the Cabinet. According to Thakur, nearly a year has passed since those assurances without any action.

'The Chief Minister keeps making claims about making his MLAs Ministers, but becomes silent when it comes to implementing these promises before his party high command,' Thakur said in a statement.

He further alleged that Sukhu was using the prospect of Cabinet posts to keep legislators within his camp and consolidate his own faction inside the party — a charge the Chief Minister's office has not publicly rebutted.

Congress In-Charge Adds to the Pressure

Thakur's attack drew ammunition from remarks made a day earlier by Rajni Patil, the State Congress In-charge, who confirmed on Saturday that no formal Cabinet expansion proposal had yet been received from the Chief Minister. Patil indicated the party would act only after a formal submission arrived.

'Now even the Congress in-charge has exposed the Chief Minister's style of functioning. She is telling the media that no proposal for Cabinet expansion has been received from Himachal Pradesh,' Thakur said, underscoring the contradiction between Sukhu's public promises and the absence of any formal move.

The MLA at the Centre of Speculation

Thakur pointed to a specific legislator whom Sukhu had allegedly promised a Cabinet post, noting that the MLA had frequently accompanied the Chief Minister at official programmes and during out-of-state visits — a pattern the LoP described as indicative of a commitment that was never formalised.

The identity of the legislator has not been officially confirmed, but the remark signals that the promise is a known quantity within Himachal political circles.

Clock Ticking on Cabinet Deadline

The LoP questioned when Sukhu intended to submit the expansion proposal, noting that the Congress government's four-year tenure would be completed in December 2026. Reports earlier this month had suggested a reshuffle or expansion could occur by the end of September, but Patil's Saturday statement effectively ruled out any imminent move.

This is not the first time Cabinet expansion timelines have slipped in Shimla; similar speculation had surfaced earlier in the year without resolution, suggesting a pattern of delayed decisions that has grown politically costly.

Thakur at 'Mann Ki Baat' Event in Shimla

Separately, LoP Thakur attended a public listening event for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 138th episode of 'Mann Ki Baat' in Shimla's Ward 12, alongside Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers, office-bearers, and local residents. He described the programme as a platform that spotlights the achievements, innovations, and inspirational contributions of ordinary citizens.

With the Congress government's tenure entering its final year and internal factional tensions surfacing publicly, the pressure on Chief Minister Sukhu to either act on the Cabinet expansion or offer a credible explanation is set to intensify in the weeks ahead.