In Mumbai for poll campaign, CM accuses BJP of defaming Himachal

“Is the politics here focused on samosa or on crucial issues like development and respect for women?” Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu asked in a lighter vein when Congress leader Pawan Khera offered him a samosa on his arrival at the party office in Mumbai.

“Truth always confronts falsehood, and prevails in the end,” he said. The Chief Minister has gone to Maharashtra to campaign for the party in the upcoming elections.

Highlighting the similarities between the political situation in Maharashtra and Himachal Pradesh, Sukhu said like in Maharashtra, the BJP attempted ‘Operation Lotus’ during the Rajya Sabha elections in the hill state. “Ever since this operation failed, efforts have been made to defame the state. Negative propaganda, including posts on social media by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is being spread against Himachal,” alleged Sukhu.

The Chief Minister added that despite the BJP’s propaganda, the people of the state backed the Congress and the party again has 40 MLAs in the state. “Now, the people of Maharashtra, too, must decide if democracy is strengthened by such tactics, including the attempts to topple elected Congress governments through monetary influence,” he said.

The Chief Minister noted that within less than two years, his government had fulfilled five major guarantees. “These include the implementation of the Old Pension Scheme, the introduction of English medium education from Class I in government schools, the provision of a monthly pension of Rs 1,500 to women over the age of 18,” he said.

The Chief Minister said the Congress ideology had laid the strong foundation for a progressive India. “It stems from the vision of former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, who implemented policies prioritising national interests and setting India on the path to development,” he said.