CM Jai Ram Thakur condemns Thackeray’s ‘ganja fields in Himachal’ remarks

Tribune News Service

Shimla, October 26

Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Monday condemned and termed deplorable the statement by his Maharashtra counterpart Uddhav Thackeray that ‘Ganja fields are in Himachal’.

“He must not forget that Himachal despite being a very small state, has played a very significant role at the national level in several areas, so such remarks by him are very unfortunate,” said Thakur. He said Himachal was known as “Dev Bhoomi” and valiant soldiers from the state have served the nation and protected our borders by making the supreme sacrifice.

He was reacting to Maharashtra CM’s jibe made in reference to actor Kangana Ranaut that “ganja fields are in your state”. CM Thakur said such remarks from Thackeray are very unfortunate and unacceptable.

A verbal duel has erupted between Thackeray and Ranaut, following actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death with the actress hitting out at Mumbai police and Maharashtra government. Thackeray is learnt to have said, “They don’t know, in our house we grow tulsi and not ganja,” in an oblique reference to Kangana.

Not to be cowed down by such remarks, Ranaut who is presently in her native place, Bhambla in Mandi, to attend her brother’s wedding, hit back at Thackeray in a series of tweets. “Himachal is called Dev Bhumi and has zero crime rate. It very fertile lands and grows apples, kiwis, pomegranates and strawberries and much more,” she said.

“You being a leader having such a vengeful, myopic and ill-informed views about a state which has been the abode of Lord Shiva and Maa Parvati along with many great saints like Markandya and Manu Rishi, Pandavas spent large part of their exile in Himachal Pardesh,” she further tweeted.