Leader of Opposition and former BJP chief minister Jai Ram Thakur on Friday launched a scathing attack on the Congress government, accusing it of first trying to postpone the PRI polls in Himachal indefinitely and then violating the code of conduct by announcing poll-related guarantees during a Cabinet meeting to woo voters.
Talking to mediapersons in Mandi, Thakur said the results of the Urban Local Body elections had shown that the Congress was on its way out in Himachal Pradesh. He said the Congress was so fearful that it did not even declare an official list of candidates for the ULB polls and was now trying to claim victory for Congress-backed candidates.
“The Chief Minister is lying. Out of 25 Nagar Parishads, the BJP has won 18. Still, the Congress party is now putting pressure on elected representatives to support the ruling party,” he said.
He said the BJP had strongly objected to the Cabinet decisions taken yesterday, including the disbursement of Rs 1,500 to women in certain areas to fulfil a poll guarantee, increasing the retirement age of medical college doctors from 62 to 63 years, and several other announcements.
“What was the need to take such decisions after three and a half years? They have done it now only to influence the PRI polls next week,” he said. He said the BJP would not only lodge a complaint with the State Election Commission against the Chief Minister but would also inform the Governor of Himachal Pradesh about the alleged violations.
Thakur said the Municipal Corporation election results would further expose the declining graph of the Congress in Himachal Pradesh and claimed that by the time Assembly elections arrive, nobody would be able to save the ruling party.
He alleged that the Congress government had failed on all fronts in Himachal Pradesh. “The government has badly failed in financial management and is now trying to use money collected from the common man through increased petrol and diesel prices in the name of widows and orphans to meet routine liabilities through the treasury,” he said.
He further alleged that the Congress government had misled the people of Himachal Pradesh with its promise of providing 300 units of free electricity.
“In fact, they have now withdrawn the 120 free units of electricity that were already being provided to consumers earlier. Nobody will get a zero electricity bill now,” he said.
Also read: Congress, AAP target BJP over rising petrol, diesel prices
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