BJP: Anand’s statement smacks of conspiracy

Shimla, February 26

The statement of Deputy Leader of Congress in Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma over grant of unemployment allowance has come handy to the BJP which described it as a “conspiracy” to wriggle out of poll promise to grant unemployment of Rs 1,000 per month. Sharma said yesterday that the promise to give unemployment allowance made in the election manifesto for Assembly poll in 2012 was not document of any individual but of the party and he would discuss the matter with the Chief Minister.

“The Congress government failed to fulfill the promise to give unemployment allowance during past more than four years and Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and Transport Minister G S Bali and Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee had been making contradictory statements on the issue. Now Anand Sharma is talking of discussing the matter with the Chief Minister, which smacks of conspiracy”, said Dr Rajiv Bindal, chief spokesman of the party.

The Congress party is aware that “unemployment allowance” would be a major issue in the elections, putting the party on the back foot in coming Assembly polls. Its leaders are blaming each other to find the mid path, he added.

Bindal said there were 12 lakh unemployed youth in the state in 2012, who played a crucial role in bringing Congress party to power and now the same army of unemployed youth had become threat for the party.

The BJP vice president Ganesh Dutt also lashed out the Congress government for backtracking on the issue and said that it was a cruel joke on unemployed youth.

He said it was strange that the CM had admitted that the party had promised unemployment allowance to youth in poll manifesto but at the same time said that it was not “practical”. He even said that the manifesto was prepared by the leaders who had no experience of running the government. The people will not spare the party for this betrayal, he added.— TNS