Revenue and Horticulture Minister Jagat Singh Negi faced angry protests from BJP supporters during his Friday’s visit to Seraj Assembly constituency, the home turf of Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur. Seraj has been badly hit by landslides and heavy rainfall.
The Minister had come to assess the extent of the damage caused by the natural calamity, but his visit quickly turned confrontational as agitators accused him of making insensitive remarks earlier.
Local BJP workers, led by Bhisham Thakur, confronted him over a comment he had reportedly made earlier during the peak of the disaster in Seraj. According to protesters, Negi had remarked, “Ab maja aaya Seraj ke logon ko”, a statement they found deeply insensitive and hurtful, especially when Seraj had just suffered the loss of 29 lives and widespread damage to homes, crops, and infrastructure.
Tensions further escalated due to another comment allegedly aimed at Jai Ram Thakur, implying that the former Chief Minister now truly understood the impact of natural disasters only because his own constituency was affected.
As Negi reached Janjehli, BJP supporters waved black flags and raised slogans demanding his resignation. Later, while he was holding a review meeting at the rest house in Thunag, a crowd, including women, gathered outside, demanding that he step out and talk to them. When the meeting ended and got into his vehicle, the agitators blocked his vehicle and refused to let him pass until the police intervened.
Despite the heated atmosphere, Negi went ahead with the scheduled high-level meeting in Thunag to review ongoing relief and rehabilitation work. He assured that reaching every affected family with timely aid was a top priority for the state government under Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.
He shared that over ₹2.14 crore had already been disbursed in Mandi district, with ₹45 lakh released specifically for Thunag. Over ₹1.55 crore has been sanctioned to help people whose homes and private property were damaged, with ₹1.35 crore set aside just for Thunag. In addition, more than 4,000 ration kits, 865 blankets, and over 5,100 tarpaulins have been distributed to families in the flood-hit areas," he said.
Negi also highlighted that reconnecting rural roads was a key focus. Of the affected routes, 103 had already been restored, and another 37 were expected to be functional soon. Under MGNREGA, 401 works worth ₹9 crore had begun in Seraj, including the construction of 292 footpaths, 62 pedestrian bridges, and three protection walls. An additional ₹40 lakh had been approved for debris clearance in Pandav Shila, Kuthah, Thunag Bazaar, and Sanglawara.
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