Decision to restart lottery harmful: Himachal BJP chief Rajeev Bindal

The BJP today hit out at the state government for deciding to allow lottery and said that it would revoke the decision if voted to power in the next Assembly elections.

State BJP President Rajeev Bindal, while addressing a press conference here, said that instead of providing jobs to lakhs of educated jobless youth, the Congress government had decided to start the operation of lotteries in the state. “Former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal had banned lottery in Himachal. In 2004, the then Congress government had started lottery again, but Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh stopped it in 2007 in the larger interest of the state,” he added. He claimed that the BJP was committed to stopping any activity that could mislead the youth.

Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur also condemned the Cabinet decision to start lottery in Himachal. “Lottery was stopped in Himachal after many families got ruined as many people spent their entire salaries and earnings on it,” said Thakur. The thrust under the present government was on encouraging the sale of liquor and cannabis, he alleged.

Bindal questioned the Congress for failing to provide one lakh jobs, as it had promised before the last Assembly elections. “On the contrary, the Congress government is enticing the youth to buy and sell lottery, which is condemnable,” he said. He added that not only Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu but also his entire Cabinet was responsible for trying to misguide the youth.

He said that the Central Government had extended a huge financial help to Himachal, each time heavy rain caused devastation over the past couple of years and during the ongoing monsoon season.