New Delhi, May 24
In a scathing attack, the Congress on Friday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to disclose how much money was paid by BJP to MLAs in Himachal Pradesh to defect to the saffron party.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh also asked Modi to reveal how much the February attempt to topple the Congress Government in Himachal Pradesh cost the BJP.
The Prime Minister is visiting Himachal Pradrsh’s Nahan and Mandi today to campaign for the Lok Sabha elections.
“The BJP’s blatant disregard for democratic values has been on full display in Himachal Pradesh. The six MLAs who were disqualified from the assembly for selling out to the BJP during Rajya Sabha polls have shamelessly been named as candidates for the seats they vacated. Ten years into their rule, it has become clear that for the BJP, dirty politics is not the exception – it is the rule”, Ramesh wrote on X.
“How much did each MLA get for defecting? The outgoing PM has proudly called India the ‘Mother of Democracy’. Does he really think that Mother India would stand for his duplicity and deception?”, Ramesh said.
Noting that people of Himachal Pradesh have repeatedly voiced their opposition to the Agnipath Scheme, Ramesh asked Modi if he has any plans to reconsider the “ill-conceived scheme?”.
The Congress leader also alleged that two railway lines that were sanctioned during the term of UPA-1 are yet to be completed in Himachal Pradesh. The Bhanupali-Bilapsur-Beri line from Punjab to Himachal Pradesh was sanctioned in 2008-09, and the Chandigarh-Baddi line to connect the state’s industrial hub to Chandigarh was sanctioned in 2007-08, he said.
According to Ramesh, at least 330 people lost their lives, and Himachal suffered damages amounting to at least Rs 10,000 crore during the floods in July last year.
Despite repeated requests from the Chief Minister, Ramesh said, the Modi government refused to declare it a ‘national calamity’, and provide adequate Central funds for relief and rehabilitation.
“What vendetta does the outgoing PM have against the people of Himachal? Is it entirely because of their decision to vote for the Congress?” Ramesh asked.
