Congress raking up regional sentiments: BJP

SHIMLA, July 20: The state unit of Bharatiya Janata Party today accused the Congress of its attempt to incite regional sentiments by raki...

SHIMLA, July 20: The state unit of Bharatiya Janata Party today accused the Congress of its attempt to incite regional sentiments by raking up an unnecessary controversy over government decision to hand over the palatial bunglow (Himachal Bhawan) to Himachal Tourism Development Corporation.

Party spokesman Ganesh Dutt claimed in a statement that it was wrong to say that Chief Minister P.K.Dhumal scrapped the so-called winter move of the Congress government with attention to deprive the people of Kangra of their access to the Chief Minister or the government. “The government will be at their door-steps but lavish spendings will not be done on the pretext of winter-move,” Dutt declared.

Party spokesman reminded that former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh used to stay in Dharamshala for only seven to eight days but Dhumal would spendB double the time in the area and would stay at the existing rest houses of the government. “What is the need for retaining a big bunglow?” he questioned.

Dutt maintained that the Chief Minister’s stay at rest houses at Dharamshala and other sub-divisional and tehsil headquarter would ensure his greater accessibility to the people. He accused the previous Congress government of resorting to wasteful expenditures and fedual style of working. He claimed that Dhumal had proved in the past three months that he was a real leader of the masses and government he heads now is actually the government of the people and not of the Rajas.’

Ravinder Singh Ravi, BJP MLA from Thural constituency of Kangra district, criticised the Congress for a report appearing in a section of press regarding decision of the government on the Kashmir House and termed it as politically motivated and an attempt to gain political mileage.

Ravi said that the state government under the leadership of Prem Kumar Dhumal was committed to the alrouned and balanced development of the state. He said that Virbhadra Singh had converted the HPTDC hotel into Himachal Bhawan only to achieve political motives.

He said that Prof Prem Kumar Dhumal had made it clear earlier also that he would frequently visit Kangra district to meet the people and listen to their grievances as well as to monitor various developmental projects going on in the district. He said that the people of Kangra and the state had full faith in the Chief Minister and the state of Himachal Pradesh is bound to become a prosperous state.