Rajeev Bindal: To influence 3 bypolls in Himachal, Congress threatening staff, traders

Shimla, July 1

State BJP president Rajeev Bindal today accused the Congress government of threatening government employees, shopkeepers and traders with dire consequences in a bid to hijack the three Assembly byelections.

Bindal, while addressing a press conference here, alleged that the police, excise, health and other officials were trying to spread fear among the employees posted in the Dehra Assembly segment. “Leaders holding Cabinet ranks are camping in Dehra and threatening employees to influence the byelection. Similar tactics are being adopted in Nalagarh and Hamirpur as well,” he added.

Bindal said that such petty tactics of the government would not succeed as people knew when the Chief Minister had done nothing in Nadaun, not much would happen in Dehra. He added that the Chief Minister was indulging in political vendetta to ensure the survival of his government.

He accused the government of shielding anti-social elements, who were involved in firing and other crimes. Bindal said that the Baddi-Barotiwala Nalagarh (BBN) industrial belt was becoming a haven for drug smugglers where chitta was being sold openly. “In the past one-and-a-half years, heinous crimes have taken place while the police remained a mute spectator,” he added.

“The firing incident in the Baddi-Barotiwala Nalagarh industrial belt on Sunday is a matter of grave concern. There is no fear of the government or the law among anti-social elements,” he said. “What is most shocking is that the firing incident occurred at a place where more than 1,000 persons were watching the match,” he added.

Bindal said that the firing incident outside the courts in Bilaspur was alarming. “Had the shooter not been nabbed, nobody would have known who were the real culprits. Trilok Jamwal, Bilaspur MLA, had alerted the police that there could be a major incident as people with weapons were roaming around freely but no preventive action was taken,” he added.