KCCB chief Pathania rushes to defend Himachal CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu against rebels

Hamirpur, March 20

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has ensured all-round development of Hamirpur district and even the constituencies of the rebel Congress MLAs have been sanctioned development projects worth thousands of crores of rupees, said Kuldeep Pathania, Chairman of Kangra Central Cooperative Bank, here today.

Pathania, a former Congress MLA, said that the three rebel MLAs (two from the Congress and one Independent) from the district were misleading people on development and other welfare works done by the CM in Hamirpur and also in their constituencies. He added that the Chief Minister established various offices here, including that of HP Power Corporation Limited, Chief Engineer of the HP State Electricity Board and the HP Transport Appellate Tribunal.

He said that the construction of a bus stand here that was pending from the past 15 years was started at a cost of Rs 55 crore on 74 kanals. He added that under the Jal Jeevan Mission, 17 water supply schemes out of the 66 projects sanctioned for the district had been completed.

On the rebel MLAs, Pathania said that they had lost credibility in public and would not be able to face voters in their constituencies. He added that BJP workers were also against the induction of these rebels into their party and they would not support them.

Suman Bharti, president of the District Congress Committee, said that the Chief Minister had emerged as a popular leader of Hamirpur district as he had fulfilled guarantees that the Congress had given before the last Assembly elections, including the implementation of the old pension scheme (OPS), Rs 1,500 grant to women, welfare schemes for the poor and the needy and the purchase of dung and milk from farmers. He added that the Congress was united in the district and would win all seats in the Assembly byelections and the Lok Sabha elections as well.