Congress Kangra candidate Anand Sharma takes on PM Modi, says 2 cr jobs target not met

Lalit Mohan

Dharamsala, May 3

Anand Sharma, Congress candidate from the Kangra Lok Sabha seat, and Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu were given a rousing welcome by party workers on their arrival at the Gaggal airport here today. Sukhu left for an election rally in the Pangi area of Chamba. Sources said that Sharma would start campaigning in the constituency from tomorrow.

Sharma, while talking to mediapersons at the Gaggal airport, said, “I have visited Kangra many times for social and official functions and am well connected with the area.”

BJP insulting voters by predicting poll results

• Congress candidate Anand Sharma said on Friday that the BJP leadership was insulting the electorate by predicting the results even before the elections were held
• Sharma, while talking to media in Shimla before leaving for Kangra, said there was no place for the arrogance of the BJP leadership, which had predicted the results in its favour weeks before the elections were to be held
• He claimed he had the support of the party organisation, Chief Minister, MLAs and all party workers

Asked about the BJP’s allegation that the Congress government had failed to fulfil election promises, he said that first the Opposition should tell about unfulfilled promises of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “The Prime Minister should tell the people of the country about the unfulfilled promise of providing two crore jobs every year. He should also tell people about schemes likes Agniveer under which soldiers are not given permanent jobs and the demonetisation scheme,” he added.

Later, Sharma held a meeting with Congress MLAs, ministers and other leaders of Kangra district. He discussed with them the strategy for his election campaign. He said, “As a Union Minister I had given various development projects to Kangra district. Incumbent Agriculture Minister Chander Kumar, when he was Kangra MP, had met me and requested me that a National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) be opened in the district. I was Union Minister for Textiles then and I approved a state-of-the-art NIFT in Kangra. I also got established a Tea Board of India office in Palampur to help promote Kangra tea.”

Sharma said that the BJP should tell people what it had done for Kangra district and the constituency.