Shimla, May 18 -- Former chief minister and leader of the opposition, Jai Ram Thakur, criticised the Congress in the state, alleging that the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu government has plunged the state into a severe financial emergency.

Campaigning for the upcoming panchayat elections scheduled to be held in the state in three phases beginning May 26, Jai Ram said, "The central government has been consistently allocating adequate budgetary resources to the state without any political bias; however, the state government is completely reluctant to utilise these funds for actual implementation on the ground."

"This government had ascended to power through trickery, relying solely on false guarantees; consequently, the public is no longer prepa...