Politics begins over UDAN plan in Shimla

Kuldeep Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, April 24

The proposed launch of UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik) scheme by Prime Minister Narendra Modi here has triggered a political slugfest among the ruling Congress, BJP and the CPM, ahead of the civic body polls due in May and Assembly polls in November.

Insiders say the BJP will target the Congress through the scheme. Shimla Mayor and CPM leader Sanjay Chauhan said they welcomed the Prime Minister here but the BJP had turned the scheme into a political propaganda to save the BJP’s anti-Shimla stand on the issue of the Shima smart city mission.

“The Centre discriminated against Shimla and gave smart city tag to Dharamsala,” Chauhan claimed.

Chauhan said during the last Lok Sabha polls, the Prime Minister had promised special package for Himachal, increase of duty on import of apple and green bonus. “We hope he will tell people how much he has delivered after three years in power and we expect to tell people as to why The Ridge is not banned for big rally which houses a 107-year-old heritage drinking water tanks under its concrete surface, the Mayor asked.

State Congress president Sukhwinder Sukhu said the party welcomed the Prime Minister here, but he must give answers on promises he had made to people in the last Lok Sabha elections.

Sukhu said the Prime Minister must explain how the state BJP bought land worth Rs 20 crore, including Rs 5 crore in Shimla, in the name of the party in different places in the state just before demonetisation. “We have information that 50 per cent of money used in the land purchase was black money,” Sukhu alleged.

On launch of UDAN scheme, Sukhu claimed that the credit went to former Chief Justice TS Thakur who had directed the Centre to restore Delhi-Shimla flights, not to the Prime Minister and the BJP. But Shimla BJP legislator and chief whip in the Vidhan Sabha Suresh Bhardwaj termed Congress and CPM charges baseless, saying that the Congress was a sinking ship while the CPM’s days in the SMC are numbered.