BJP leaders failed to dislodge Himachal's Congress govt, now repentant: MLA

Hamirpur, June 24

BJP leaders are guilty conscious after their failed ‘mission lotus’ to topple the state government and are now misleading people with their statements while campaigning for the Assembly byelections, said Bhoranj MLA Suresh Kumar while addressing mediapersons here today.

He said that after losing four seats in the previous Assembly byelections, the BJP leaders had lost all hopes and their frustration was visible in their outcries in the media. He added that the people of the state wanted to know why three former Independent MLAs had resigned and forced three Assembly byelections on the state. As a result, all development works had halted.

Suresh said that the people wanted to know that where were three former Independent MLAs Ashish Sharma, Hoshiyar Singh and KL Thakur were hiding after February 27. He claimed that BJP candidate for the Hamirpur byelection Ashish Sharma was alleging that the government had harassed him but it was him who was not cooperating with agencies conducting an investigation in an FIR registered against him. He added that the state High Court and not the state government had ordered Ashish to join investigation.

The MLA said that Ashish was misleading the people of the Hamirpur constituency on development issues and Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had initiated work on projects that were even pending during the BJP regime such as the construction of a bus stand at Hamirpur, establishment of a cancer research centre and a medical college in the district.

Earlier, Prem Kaushal, chief spokesperson for the Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee, said that the BJP had lost its credibility among people after their failed attempt to topple the state government. He added that Jai Ram Thakur was an accidental chief Minister as the 2017 elections were not fought under his leadership.

He claimed that Sukhu had undertaken a number of development works and started welfare schemes for the people of the state. He said that the Chief Minister had restored the old pension scheme, started MSP on milk and given over 21,000 jobs in the state.