Apologise or face legal action over CM remark: Rakesh Pathania to Mukesh Agnihotri

Two days after Leader of Opposition Mukesh Agnihotri took “women friends in the helicopter” jibe at chief minister Jai Ram Thakur, forest minister Rakesh Pathania hit back at the former seeking an apology or face legal action.

Addressing a press joint conference with power minister Sukhram Chaudhary here, Pathania sought to know what exactly the Leader of Opposition meant by his statement.

“Agnihotri should retract his statement and offer an apology or we have kept legal options open,” said Pathania.

“Such derogatory and unparliamentarily language against the chief minister of the state will never be tolerated. We would not sit silent,” he added.

He said the Anihotri’s statement reflects “his frustration stemmed out from the growing popularity of Jai Ram Thakur-led state government”.

“He wants to become the chief minister but the BJP is going to repeat the government,” said Pathania, adding, “Frustrated by being ignored, Agnihotri was trying to show his party high command that he also speaks against the government.”

The forest minister said that even former chief ministers Prem Kumar Dhumal and Virbhadra Singh would often have arguments over issues but they never used such derogatory languages against each other.

People of the state witnessed a bitter spat between Jai Ram Thakur and Agnihotri on Wednesday.

It began with the chief minister taking a covert dig at the Leader of the Opposition during a public meeting at Reckong Peo of Kinnaur district.

“One Congress leader repeatedly questions the use of helicopter by me. I would like to remind him that it is a government helicopter and he hasn’t inherited it from his family,” the chief minister said.

In response, Agnihotri, addressing a party event in Mandi, said that the chief minister shouldn’t have dragged his family into it.

“The government helicopter is not meant for joyrides for women friends,” he said.