SHIMLA: Accusing BJP of bequeathing the people of Himachal Pradesh a huge burden of debt, the State’s Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu asked people to vote for Congress in the upcoming Shimla Municipal Corporation Polls so that Congress can run the Corporation “for the development of Shimla City.”
He was addressing a public gathering at Totu in Shimla on Friday as part of a Congress campaign for Shimla municipal corporation elections which is scheduled for May 2.
“We are taking steps to make the State Government and the Shimla Municipal Corporation self-dependent on finances. We have inherited total debt of 75,000 crore rupees from the previous BJP government. Each resident of Shimla is having 92,840 rupees public debt which the BJP government bequeathed,” The Chief Minister said.
He also said that Shimla municipal corporation elections have nothing to do with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“These elections have nothing to do with Prime Minister Modi Ji. I also remained a councillor twice in Shimla. These elections are entirely concerned with local issues,” the Chief Minister said.
Reacting to the BJP’s election promise of 4,0000 Litre free water to the residents of the City, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said:” They are promising 4,0000 Litre free water to the people, during the five years they were in the government in state and centre and in the municipal corporation. Why they did not give free water then?”
“Now they are just making false promises. The mayor, deputy mayor and local councillor were of BJP but they did not do anything. We are going to form the Shimla Municipal Corporation to develop Shimla City,” said Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.
The Chief Minister said that the Congress government is committed to delivering the promises that Congress gave to the people of the state.
“They(BJP) promised to give DA allowance and arrears to employees but nothing has been given. We have decided to give education loans to students with 1% interest. We have also given 6,000 orphaned children the status of ‘children of the state'”.
“We have promised to start underground cabling for electricity, pure drinking water, parking and other development of the state. We are committed to our promises made to the people of the state and Shimla,” Sukhu further added. (ANI)