Himachal CM Sukhvinder Sukhu drums up support for Anand Sharma
Chamba, May 20
With the election campaign gaining momentum in the run up to Lok Sabha elections in Himachal Pradesh, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu addressed three back-to-back meetings in Tissa, Salooni and Devi Dehra of Chamba district on Monday to drum up support for Congress Kangra candidate Anand Sharma.
Addressing the rallies, the Chief Minister highlighted Sharma’s contributions to Himachal Pradesh during his tenure as a Union minister and urged voters to ensure his victory by a substantial margin.
Sukhu said as a union minister Sharma brought several development projects and institutes to Himachal like the Central University, the National Institute of Fashion Technology at Kangra, Spice Park in Nadaun and passport office in Shimla. He also pointed out that Chamba Medical College, named after India’s first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, was a gift from the Congress to the people.
Sukhu reiterated the state government’s commitment to fulfilling its electoral promises. He mentioned that government restored Old Pension Scheme for 1.36 lakh employees and also implemented ?1,500 per month financial assistance scheme for women. He accused Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur and his team of attempting to halt these initiatives, alleging that the BJP was pressuring the Election Commission to stop the payments to beneficiary women.
Despite these challenges, Sukhu assured that the monetary benefits would be distributed and beneficiary women would receive a lump sum amount of ? 3,000 in June after the Model Code of Conduct is lifted.
Sukhu criticised Jai Ram Thakur for his confrontational approach, stating that he was insulting the mandate of the people and the democratic set up claiming that the BJP government will be formed in Himachal on June. He asserted that the people would teach Jai Ram Thakur and his party a lesson and Congress would win all the four Lok Sabha and six Assembly seats. Sukhu emphasized that the people of the state would set an example for the entire country by delivering a strong response to the politics of horse trading.
He also accused six Congress ex-MLAs of colluding with the BJP to topple the state government, but reassured that the government would remain stable. Sukhu spoke about the economic challenges inherited from the previous BJP government.
