HP BJP protests against Cong's 'anti-people' policies, claims party MLA injured in police action

The Himachal Pradesh BJP Monday organised a protest rally near the assembly here against alleged anti-people policies of the Congress government and claimed a party MLA was injured after being hit by police with a cane.

Addressing the 'Janata mange hisaab, kyun kiya vishwasghat' (people want answers, why they were betrayed) rally at the Ambedkar Chowk here, BJP leaders claimed the Sukhu government's performance during its first nine months in office has been dismal and all its policies and decisions have badly hit the common man.

The rally was organised before the assembly gathered for the day around 2 pm. The BJP leaders and workers marched towards Vidhan Sabha, around one km from the venue, after the rally but were met with police barricades.

The protesting leaders and workers raised anti-government slogans and made a bid to break the barricade, leading to a minor scuffle between them and the police. Former chief minister and Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur alleged BJP MLA Janak Raj (Dharmaur) was injured after being hit by police with a cane.

Later, the BJP MLAs requested the security personnel they be allowed to go to the Vidhan Sabha to attend the House. They were let in separately as the party workers dispersed.

Speaking at the rally, Jai Ram Thakur lashed out at the government, accusing it of not taking a single pro-people decision. Its only achievement was closing down more than 1,000 health, revenue, education and other institutions with mala fide intentions, he said.

The Sukhu dispensation only de-notified institutions opened by the BJP and the time is not far when the people will denotify the Congress government, he asserted.

Right from day one, the Congress government has been crying hoarse about the grim financial situation and trying to malign the BJP government by giving wrong figures, he alleged.

But the fact is the previous BJP government had to borrow for paying interest on loans taken by the Congress government before that, he alleged.

The current Congress government is exaggerating the debt liability and putting it between Rs 75,000 crore-Rs 90,000 crore while it is about Rs 69,000 crore, the former CM said.

The BJP government raised loans amounting to Rs 7,000 crore in two years while the present government took loans worth Rs 8,000 crore in just eight months, he alleged.

Thakur said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union government have been helping the state but instead of expressing gratitude the Congress dispensation is trying derive political mileage in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

Later, talking to the mediapersons, Thakur alleged opposition leaders were stopped at the barricade and prevented from coming to the Vidhan Sabha which was "unfortunate".

Himachal BJP incharge Avinash Rai Khanna accused the state government of thrusting anti-people decisions on people and not fulfilling the poll guarantees.

While the Union government honoured women by getting the Nari Vandan Adhiniyam passed, the Congress government cheated them by not fulfilling the promise of giving Rs 1,500 per month to them, he alleged.

The Congress managed to form government by offering false guarantees, Khanna alleged.

People are annoyed and will not forgive the government for rising prices, unemployment and putting the state under the financial burden, he alleged.

Khanna said the Congress government headed by Virbhadra Singh had also promised youths a monthly unemployment allowance of Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,800 in 2012 but did not fulfil it.

It is a characteristic of the Congress to make false promises to win elections, he alleged.

Outsourced employees are being dispensed with and rallies, dharna and demonstrations by political parties, students and employees galore during the monsoon session of Vidhan Sabha which put a question mark on the style of functioning of the government, he added.

State BJP President Rajiv Bindal said the Sukhu government should quit if it is unable to govern.

Roads are in bad shape, women are waiting for the promised Rs 1,500 per month, and unemployed youths are getting restive and calling for the government to be ousted, he said.

"We are holding demonstrations to expose the mismanagement and anti-people policies of the government and highlight burning issues like price rise, the crumbling law and order situation, crime against women, discrimination in relief distribution and the failure to fulfil poll promises," he added.

State BJP vice president Rashm Dhar Sood took a swipe at the government, saying the 'Nari Shakti' would turn the 'Sukh ki Sarkar into Dukh ki Sarkar' for not fulfilling its promise to give Rs 1,500 per month to women even after nine months in power.