Lok Sabha Elections 2024 | Revolt by six ex-Cong MLAs was a slap in party's face for cheating people: Himachal BJP chief

Shimla: The revolt by the six former MLAs, who had voted in favour of BJP nominee Harsh Mahajan in the Rajya Sabha polls, was a slap in the face of the Congress for 'cheating' the people of Himachal Pradesh by making false promises, state BJP chief Rajiv Bindal has said.

In an interview with PTI, Bindal claimed the Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led state government has no achievements to show for the 15 months it has been in power and that Congress leaders are frustrated with this.

"The Congress and the state government are bankrupt in terms of leadership and policies and have cheated the people of the state by making false promises and people with scruples are leaving the party. The revolt by its (former) legislators was a slap in the face of the Congress for cheating the public," the BJP leader said.

Calling these leaders rebels shows Sukhu's frustration, he said.

"One thing is clear that people are motivated by the developmental policies and charisma of Prime Minister Narendra Modi," he added.

Senior Congress leaders across the country are quitting the party and joining the BJP. Himachal Pradesh is no exception. Besides the six former MLAs, acting presidents of state Congress Harsh Mahajan and Pawan Kajal had joined the BJP, Bindal said.

On February 27, the then Congress MLAs Rajinder Rana (Sujanpur), Sudhir Sharma (Dharamshala), Ravi Thakur (Lahaul and Spiti), Inder Dutt Lakhanpal (Barsar), Chetanya Sharma (Gagret) and Devinder Kumar Bhutto (Kutlehar) voted in favour of the BJP's Mahajan in the Rajya Sabha polls.

Two days later, they were disqualified for defying a party whip to be present in Vidhan Sabha and vote in favour of the government during the cut motions and budget.

Later, these former Congress MLAs joined the BJP. The BJP has fielded them as its candidates for the Himachal Pradesh Assembly bypolls from the seats they held as Congress members.

Bindal further said the six chief parliamentary secretaries (CPS) appointed 'illegally' by Sukhu would ultimately go and the government would collapse under its own weight.

The Congress government is 'anti-people' and it should introspect, he added.

Sukhu had appointed Congress MLAs Sanjay Awasthi, Sunder Singh Thakur, Ram Kumar, Mohan Lal Brakta, Ashish Butail and Kishori Lal as CPS ahead of a cabinet expansion on January 8 last year and attached them with ministers.

Twelve BJP MLAs had challenged the move on the ground that it was a negation of Article 164(1A) of the Constitution that restricts the number of ministers to 15 per cent of the strength of the House, which is 12 in the case of Himachal Pradesh.

Bindal exuded confidence that the BJP would sweep all four Lok Sabha seats and the six assembly seats in Himachal Pradesh.

The BJP is contesting an organised election, focusing on the booth level. It will win all the Lok Sabha seats and the six assembly seats. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rallies at one or two places in the last leg will change the election scenario, he said.

The BJP's agenda is the welfare of the poor, employment generation and making India a production hub. On the other hand, the Congress is trying to appease the minorities, he said.

The bypolls to the six assembly seats in Himachal Pradesh which fell vacant after the disqualification of the Congress MLAs will be held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha polls on June 1.

The Congress opposed the construction of the Ram temple for 70 years. After the Congress won the state elections, Sukhu had claimed that his party 'defeated 97 per cent Hindus', the BJP leader charged.

In February last year, Sukhu had said that despite Hindus accounting for 97 per cent of the population of Himachal Pradesh, the Congress defeated the BJP with its ideology of humanity.

"Himachal Pradesh is a small state but the victory (in elections) there was big... Hindus account for 97 per cent of Himachal Pradesh's population. BJP national president J P Nadda also hails from there. We devised a strategy to defeat the BJP, which represents the Hindu ideology. The Congress' ideology of humanity defeated that ideology," the chief minister had said during the 85th plenary session of his party in Raipur.

Bindal said the state government has not done any work during its 15-month tenure so far.

In a swipe at the Congress, he said, "Ek kaam ginao aur 100 rupay inaam payo (Tell me one thing you have done and get a reward of Rs 100)." Asked about Congress Mandi Lok Sabha seat candidate Vikramaditya Singh's remarks on his BJP rival Kangana Ranaut, Bindal said he should name one road constructed during his tenure as the Public Works minister.

"If our daughter, who comes from a small village of Himachal Pradesh, has carved a niche for herself in Mumbai and emerged as an actor of national repute, she should be appreciated," Bindal said.