Hitting out at the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) on Wednesday, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu accused the opposition party of playing petty politics surrounding the natural disaster faced by the hill State following heavy rains.
Expressing his displeasure, Mr. Suku said that the BJP leaders were resorting to petty politics in the name of the natural disaster.
“The Leader of Opposition, Jai Ram Thakur, was engaged in political manipulation instead of sympathizing with the disaster affected,” said the Chief Minister.
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He asked the leader of the opposition to take up the matter with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah and to request a special disaster package for Himachal Pradesh, akin to that provided in the aftermath of the Kedarnath and Bhuj tragedies.
Mr. Sukhu said the State government has repeatedly appealed to the Union government to declare the disaster in Himachal as a ‘national calamity’, but the Centre has not paid any heed to the concern of Himachal Pradesh, which has suffered immensely due to the nature’s fury during the monsoon season.
The Chief Minister also accused the previous BJP government of pushing the State into a ‘debt trap’ of ₹ 75,000 crores. “The previous government made announcements only for political gains but failed to provide arrears and allowances due to the employees. Meanwhile, the Congress government, soon after taking over the reins of the State, made the groundbreaking decision to reinstate the old pension system for its employees, despite financial constraints,” he added.
Asserting that the State government would leave no stone unturned to assist the disaster-affected families from its resources, Mr. Sukhu said the travel routes connecting tourists’ destinations in the State, have been substantially restored and is now safe enough to travel to Himachal Pradesh.
