Former CM Prem Kumar Dhumal Slams Lottery Revival, Recalls Families Ruined by the System in Himachal
HAMIRPUR/SHIMLA, AUGUST 2 – Former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Prof Prem Kumar Dhumal has strongly criticised the Sukhu-led Congress government’s decision to revive the lottery system in the state, calling it a "step back into ruin."
In a sharply worded statement, Prof Dhumal recalled how lotteries had once devastated families across Himachal, forcing his government in 1999 to impose a complete ban on the system.
“It was not just a decision, it was a moral responsibility,” said Dhumal, who served as CM during the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Referring to a pivotal judgment by the Himachal High Court on April 17, 1996, which banned the sale of single-digit lotteries, Dhumal said the court’s decision had come at a time when the addiction to lotteries was beginning to grip the state.
“By the time I assumed office in 1998, the lottery menace had already taken deep roots. Employees were gambling away their salaries, pensioners their retirement savings, and young people their hard-earned savings. Many homes were broken, families destroyed.”
He added that in 1999, his government unanimously decided to shut down the entire lottery system to prevent further societal damage.
“It was a curse we didn’t want our people to fall prey to. We banned it in the larger public interest,” Dhumal said.
Prof Dhumal also reminded that in 2004, when Congress came to power, lotteries were again restarted, but later banned by then CM Virbhadra Singh, acknowledging its harmful consequences.
“Even he understood it was a social evil,” Dhumal noted, adding that the meagre revenue of ₹4-5 crore was never worth the social cost.
Taking a dig at the Sukhu government, the BJP stalwart said Himachal now risks becoming a hub of alcohol, drugs, and gambling.
“From chitta and liquor to bhang and now lotteries — this government is pushing youth and working-class people toward doom,” he said.
With over 2.3 lakh employees and close to 10 lakh unemployed youth in the state, Dhumal warned that reopening lotteries would have a dangerous impact on the vulnerable.
“At a time when the government promised one lakh jobs in its first Cabinet, it’s instead creating avenues for addiction and financial ruin.”
The BJP, he said, condemns this decision in the strongest terms and demands immediate rollback, warning that such populist revenue-raising tactics will ultimately cost the state far more — both socially and morally.
Prof Dhumal’s criticism comes at a time when the opposition has begun mounting pressure on the Sukhu government for what it calls “short-sighted economic policies” that prioritize income over integrity.
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