Mandi, July 26

Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur today said that it was the duty of people to honour soldiers and their families during a Kargil Vijay Diwas ceremony organised by the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha here.

Ex-servicemen and the families of the martyrs were honoured at the ceremony. Thakur paid tributes at the martyrs' memorial. He was accompanied by local MLA Anil Sharma, Balh MLA Inder Singh Gandhi and Mandi Municipal Corporation Mayor Virender Bhatt.

Thakur said that he was proud of the Army and the "sacrifices made by our soldiers". The former Chief Minister said that such programmes should include all stakeholders and should not become mere ceremonies. He added that Kargil Vijay Diwas was celebrated at different places in Mandi district but the administration did not invite local public representatives to the event.

He criticised the government for raising the fees of the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) and other exams.