Dalai Lama congratulates Himachal’s new Chief Minister
DHARAMSALA, 12 Dec: Tibetan spiritual leader, His Holiness the Dalai Lama has congratulated Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, the new Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh.
“I am confident that the people of Himachal Pradesh will continue to prosper, especially the less privileged members of the society”, the Dalai Lama said in a missive to the new Chief Minister.
The Dalai Lama has said that “India has been his home for more than 62 years now” and that he was happy “to reside most of that time here in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh”.
“I often refer to the Chief Minister as ‘our Chief Minister’,” the Dalai Lama has said and added, “Like other places in the state, Dharamsala has grown and developed tremendously since I first arrived in McLeod Ganj in May 1960”.
The Dalai Lama has also thanked the people of Himachal for the “friendship and hospitality that the people from all walks of life have shown to him and his fellow Tibetans all these years.
The octogenarian Tibetan leader concluded by wishing the new Chief Minister “every success in fulfilling the hopes and aspirations of the people of the state”.
Four-time Congress MLA Sukhu, 58, took oath as the 15th Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh in Shimla on Sunday afternoon following his party’s success in the recent elections to the State Assembly.
Sukhu who contested and won the MLA seat from the Nadaun constituency, one of the 68 assembly constituencies of Himachal has promised a transparent and honest government after assuming office.
“We have given 10 guarantees and we will implement them. We will give a transparent and honest government. We will implement the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) in the first cabinet meeting”, the Indian Express quoted the Chief Minister’s saying.
The Congress won 40 out of the 68 constituencies in Himachal Pradesh, a comfortable majority trailed by the BJP with 25 seats while AAP didn’t win a single seat.
