The Congress party on Friday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of seeking votes despite neglecting Himachal Pradesh during the monsoon disaster last year.
In a joint press conference at Shimla on Friday, AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal and Congress state in-charge Rajeev Shukla, while targeting Modi’s public meeting held in Nahan and Mandi, accused him of delivering the lowest level of speeches in history.
“The Prime Minister, realizing he is losing the elections, is resorting to misleading the public with irrelevant rhetoric,” claimed Venugopal.
He pointed out that Modi has not addressed the promises made in 2014 and 2019, such as providing jobs to 2 crore youth, a figure that has now reached 20 crore.
He also criticized the Agniveer scheme, claiming it shattered the dreams of many young people in Himachal, a state known for its military heroes.
Venugopal further attacked Modi for reducing the import duty on apples from 100 percent to 50 percent, calling BJP an anti-farmer government.
He questioned why no financial assistance was provided to Himachal during the worst natural disaster in its history, accusing Modi of using disaster funds to topple the Sukhu government through horse-trading of MLAs.
Rajeev Shukla also condemned Modi’s visit, drawing attention that the Prime Minister did not address crucial issues such as the plight of apple growers.
Shukla ridiculed Modi’s claim that Congress was afraid of Pakistan, reminding that it was Congress that split Pakistan into two parts.
He condemned Modi’s statement suggesting that Congress would lock and bulldoze the Ram temple, asserting that Congress leaders fought for the temple in Ayodhya.
Shukla highlighted the Congress’ commitment to implementing the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), contrasting it with the BJP’s opposition.
Sukhu government has already provided Rs 1500 to women in the state, despite BJP’s attempts to halt the scheme through complaints to the Election Commission, he claimed.
Both leaders emphasized that Congress has fulfilled its promises, while Modi has only given speeches and put up hoardings, failing to address the needs of the public and the country.