hp-cm-sukhu-kicks-off-poll-campaign-for-shimla-from-remote-dodra-kwar-belt

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister, Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu today kicked off his poll campaign for the Shimla Parliamentary constituency from the remotest pocket of Dodra Kwar, uphill Rohroo in Shimla district.

 

Launching a scathing attack on the BJP at a poll meeting in Dodra Kwar, the Chief Minister said the BJP tried to grab power through money, but its intentions could not succeed.

 

“The people of the state will punish the BJP for trying to grab power unethically and will give all four Lok Sabha seats of the state to the Congress party,” he said while campaigning for the Congress candidate for Shimla Lok Sabha constituency (reserved), Vinod Sultanpuri, who represents Kasauli in the state Assembly.

 

Sukhu said that the BJP used money power to woo six Congress MLAs and cross-voted against the Congress candidate for the Rajya Sabha elections. He said that BJP also tried to topple the state government with money.

 

“The leaders, who are saleable, can never be public servants,” he said, indirectly commenting on the Congress rebels, who are now BJP candidates in six Assembly by-polls.

 

The Chief Minister said that former BJP Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur had arrogantly said that ‘even God cannot save this government’.However, with the blessings of the gods and goddesses, the present state government got the budget passed and the present state government will its five-year tenure.

 

Sukhu said there were schemes related to the welfare of the common man in the budget, in which a provision has been made to increase the daily wage of MNREGA workers to Rs 300 and to give a Minimum Support Price on the purchase of milk.

 

He added that Himachal Pradesh has become the first state in the country to make a provision for MSP for milk. 

 

He said that the Himachal Pradesh government will purchase cow milk at the rate of Rs 45 and buffalo milk at the rate of Rs 55 per litre. Apart from this, Wheat produced through natural farming will be purchased at the rate of Rs 40 and Maize at the rate of Rs 30 per kg.

 

Sukhu said that the present government had shut the doors for corruption in Himachal. “Because of zero tolerance for corruption, the money that came into the state treasury was used for the new schemes,” he said.  

 

He added that the state government has started Indira Gandhi Pyari Behna Samman Nidhi, under which women above 18 years of age are being given a pension of Rs 1500 per month. 

 

He said that BJP leaders went to the Election Commission to stop women's rights, whereas this scheme has been implemented in the entire state from March 1, 2024, and a budget provision of Rs 800 crore has been made for it. 

 

He said that the BJP is not able to digest women getting pensions. He said that the Election Commission has given permission to fill out the forms of this scheme and on June 1, the amount will be transferred to the women’s accounts.

 

The Chief Minister alleged that in previous BJP tenure, the examination papers of recruitment exams were sold. To stop this, the state government dissolved the Himachal Pradesh Subordinate Staff Selection Commission and established the State Selection Commission in its place.

 

Sukhu said he had come into politics from a common family and had studied in a government school. “That is why after becoming the Chief Minister, the state government started many schemes for public welfare. Mukhyamantri Sukhashraya Yojana was started for orphan children and the state government will also bear the expenses of education of children of widows,” he said.

 

The CM said the state government organized Revenue Lok Adalat under which more than one lakh Intakal and more than 7000 Taqseem cases have been settled.

 

Sukhu said that the state government has sanctioned Rs 3 crore for the construction of Jiskoon-Jakha road and its construction work is in progress. He said that he had visited Dodra Kwar as State Congress President also.

 

Sukhu said that the state government has historically increased the support price for apple purchases by one and a half rupees. 

 

He said when an unprecedented disaster hit the state last year amid apple season, the state government worked on a war footing and opened all the roads on time so that the apple crop of the farmers reached the mandis at the right time. 

 

He said that last year apples were sold in kilos and from next year the state government was going to implement universal carton which will further strengthen the economy of apple growers.

 

Education Minister Rohit Thakur said that BJP MP Suresh Kashyap remained missing during the disaster and the MP did not give even a single Rupee from his fund for the development of Theog, Rohroo, Jubbal-Kotkhai areas. He said that the present MP came to Dodra Kwar only once during his five-year tenure. 

 

He said that the previous BJP government had abolished the subsidy on pesticides and fertilisers for apples, which the present state government has restored. 

 

He said that BJP had promised the orchardists to increase the import duty on apples by three times, but on the contrary, the Central Government reduced it to 35 per cent, due to which even cold store apples were not being sold and apple growers were suffering losses.

 

Rohit Thakur said that in the previous BJP government, there was only one minister from Shimla district and his ticket was also cancelled in the assembly elections. He said that the BJP has always been discriminating against Shimla district.

 

Congress candidate for Shimla Lok Sabha seat and MLA from Kasauli, Vinod Sultanpuri said that BJP had conspired to destabilise the state government with unfair means.  

 

He said that his father KD Sultanpuri was a six-time MP from Shimla Lok Sabha constituency and given a chance, he would work with the same sincerity with which his father worked and will always stand by the people in their pain and suffering. 

 

He said that the current MP had asked only one question in Parliament in the last five years.

Chief Parliamentary Secretary Mohan Lal Brakta said that Congress governments had contributed a lot to the development of Dodra Kwar and Rohroo.