Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting and Youth and Sports Affairs, Anurag Singh Thakur said that the Congress reneged on its promise to women in Himachal Pradesh.

Addressing a programme organised by the Maa Baglamukhi Committee in Nadaun under the Hamirpur parliamentary constituency, Thakur said, “The track record of the BJP shows that we believe in working whereas Congress believes in obstructing the work. According to Congress CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s promise, a sum of Rs 1,500 was to be given to 23 lakh mothers and sisters of Himachal in the first cabinet meeting itself, but he did not do so.”

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“Who had stopped them? It was their government with absolute majority,” he said and added that the BJP is a party, which believes not only in women empowerment but in the empowerment of society by women.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi implemented the historic ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Act’, which envisages 33 per cent reservation to women in the assembly and Lok Sabha polls in the country. Before this, former chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal had provided 50 per cent reservation to women in Panchayati Raj institutions,” he said, adding that the BJP has given 25 per cent reservation to women in the party organisation as well.

“In the last 10 years, under Modi’s leadership, free LPG connections were given to 10 crore mothers and sisters of the country, giving them freedom from smoke. Additionally, 4 crore permanent houses, 13 crore tap water connections, and 12 crore toilets were provided,” he stated.

“Apart from this, free treatment has been given to 60 crore people and free food grains to more than 80 crore people. These amenities will continue in the future as well. Under the Matru Vandana Yojana, Rs 6,000 financial support is being given to pregnant mothers and sisters. One crore sisters were made Lakhpati Didi and in the next 5 years two crore sisters will be made Lakhpati Didi,” he claimed.

He said that the Congress had raised questions about Lord Rama’s existence and even called Ram Setu imaginary. They even raised an army of lawyers to stop the construction of the Ram temple, he added.

He credited the Modi government’s policy of development and heritage for having increased the awareness of religion among the youth.

Thakur said, “Hindus patiently endured a 500-year wait and made sacrifices for the construction of the Ram Temple at Ayodhya. Now, a maximum number of devotees from all over the world will come to Ayodhya. A bigger and grander airport than Lucknow has been built in Ayodhya, named Maharishi Valmiki Airport.”