Allegations Fly Over Ad Spending in Himachal Pradesh

BJP MLA Sudhir Sharma has accused the Congress-led Himachal Pradesh government of misusing public funds for advertisements, sparking a war of words. The state government countered the claims as baseless, while Union Health Minister J P Nadda visited the state, receiving a warm welcome from party members.

BJP MLA Sudhir Sharma on Saturday accused the Congress-led Himachal Pradesh government of misusing public funds. He claimed the government gave crores of rupees in advertisements to newspapers like National Herald, which are neither sold nor seen in the state.

In response to these allegations, the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu administration dismissed them as baseless. According to Naresh Chauhan, the chief minister's media advisor, only one crore had been spent on ads for the newspaper over the past two-and-a-half years. He countered that the BJP had also spent crores on its party publications during Jai Ram Thakur's regime.

Meanwhile, Union Health Minister J P Nadda commenced his two-day tour of Himachal Pradesh. He received a grand welcome from party officials and supporters upon arriving at Kangra airport before heading to Chamba for a public meeting with senior party figures.

(With inputs from agencies.)