Ex-Mayor is CPM face from Shimla

Shimla, October 9

Starting his campaign in the city after he was declared CPM candidate for the Shimla urban constituency, Sanjay Chauhan, former Shimla Mayor, avoided any direct comment on BJP and Congress representatives in the city.

Chauhan’s name was declared by CPM state secretary Dr Onkar Shad at the party’s federation function opened by CPM senior leader and former Shimla legislator Rakesh Singha here today. Both leaders urged Left organisations and voters to oust the “corrupt BJP and Congress” to provide a corruption-free alternative.

Chauhan targeted the Congress and the BJP for outsourcing and privatising various services. He accused the BJP government at the Centre for ruining the economy, mainly small and marginal businesses and workers by demonetisation and GST.

Though the BJP and the Congress are yet to announce their candidates, the CPM took the lead by launching a campaign framed by a 23-member CPM campaign committee in the city and termed both as “the parties neck-deep in corruption”.

Without citing his “achievements” or confronting his opponents for his failures as a Mayor, Chauhan instead charged that the unemployed educated youth and pensioners were shown the dreams only as the BJP and Congress had failed to start sustainable policies for them. “A large number of workers have lost jobs while small and marginal traders were hit hard first by the demonetisation and then by the GST system,” he said.— TNS