HP Congress accuses BJP govt of discriminating against Hamirpur

The Himachal Pradesh Congress on Saturday accused the BJP government in the state of discriminating against Hamirpur district in matters of development.

Except for Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur's Seraj Assembly constituency in Mandi district, development work in the entire state is being done only on paper, Himachal Pradesh Congress election campaign committee chairman Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu alleged.

Addressing a Dalit 'sammelan' at Sujanpur Tira, he said the ruling BJP shifted many important offices from Hamirpur as soon as it came to power in the state. The district has gone back 10 years in terms of development, Sukhu alleged.

Not a single minister of the state government is from the district, he added.

Hamirpur will get its previous status back as soon as Congress forms the government after the assembly elections scheduled for December, Sukhu said.

He said the development work in Hamirpur district has been stalled for four and a half years, and the sections most affected by this are the poor, the Scheduled Castes, and the Scheduled Tribes.

Sukhu, an MLA from Nadaun, said the Scheduled Castes are the backbone of the Congress, and the work and sacrifices made by this section for the strength of the party cannot be forgotten.

He alleged that the government was failing on all fronts.

Sukhu assured that the old pension scheme would be restored if Congress came to power in the state.

Rajendra Rana, MLA from Sujanpur, and Rajendra Zar, district Congress party chief, were also present at the event.

Rana said Congress would expose the BJP and its anti-people policies and would form a government in the state once again.