SHIMLA: Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu inaugurated the Congress election campaign for Shimla (Reserve) Parliamentary constituency from the remote Dodra Kwar area, 215 km from Shimla. Despite recent road connectivity improvements, Dodra-Kwar remains largely isolated after winter snowfall.
Accompanied by Shimla candidate Vinod Sultanpuri, Education Minister Rohit Thakur, and Rohru MLA Mohan Lal Brakta, Sukhu flew from Shimla after arriving from Delhi. The BJP has taken the lead in the poll campaign for four Lok Sabha seats and six assembly bypolls, scheduled for June 1. The Congress has finalized candidates for only two Lok Sabha seats — PWD minister Vikramaditya Singh and Vinod Sultanpuri for Mandi and Shimla, respectively.
Launching a scathing attack against the BJP, Sukhu accused them of attempting to seize power through financial means and buying Congress MLAs. “This election in Himachal Pradesh is to protect the constitution and democracy which the BJP had tried to crush. The people of the state will definitely punish the BJP for its most heinous crime to steal the mandate through money power” he said. Expanding on the matter, he alleged that the BJP acquired the allegiance of more than six Congress MLAs, orchestrating their defection to vote against the Congress candidate during the Rajya Sabha elections. He accused the BJP of attempting to destabilize the Congress-led government through financial inducements, reducing these MLAs to mere commodities, devoid of moral conviction. Criticizing former Chief Minister Jairam Thakur’s assertion that even divine intervention couldn’t rescue the Congress government, Sukhu condemned it as a display of arrogance driven by wealth. Sukhu emphasized the government’s achievements, including the implementation of the Old Pension Scheme, benefiting 1.36 lakh employees with an investment of Rs 800 crore.
Additionally, the daily wage under MGNREGA was raised to Rs 300, and Himachal Pradesh became the first state to offer minimum support price on milk purchases. Sukhu highlighted the government’s anti-corruption measures, which replenished state coffers, facilitating the launch of new welfare schemes like the Indira Gandhi Pyari Behna Samman Nidhi, providing a monthly pension of Rs 1500 to women above 18 years. He also mentioned initiatives to increase apple support prices and introduce weight-based sales in wholesale markets, aiming to protect apple producers from exploitation.