Congress candidate from the Mandi parliamentary constituency, Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh, alleged that former BJP Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur does politics of regionalism.

He charged Thakur with trying to play with people’s emotions by raising slogans of regionalism. “The people of the Mandi parliamentary constituency had given a befitting reply to it in the by-elections in 2021 and the same will happen this time as well,” he added.

While addressing election meetings in Janjehli and Balichowki of Seraj assembly constituency, Vikramaditya Singh said the foundation of development was laid by six-time chief minister Late Virbhadra Singh in the Seraj area has borne fruit.

He said Virbhadra Singh never did do politics of regionalism nor did he discriminate against any region. “Whatever Jai Ram Thakur in the capacity of an MLA had asked for the constituency, Virbhadra Singh gave it wholeheartedly without any discrimination,” he said.

Singh said this time the BJP has given a ticket to an actress, Kangna Ranaut, from the Mandi parliamentary constituency, who neither has any understanding nor any knowledge about the area. “Failing to make public her vision, she is entertaining people only by praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” he alleged.

Being a woman, she uses such abusive language which is very unfortunate and does not behove the culture and traditions of the state, he added.

“She deserted Mandi at the time of disaster last Monsoon. Today she is asking for votes from the people by calling herself the daughter of Mandi,” Singh said.

Praising the Congress government in the state, he said during its 15-month tenure it has created more than 22 thousand posts to provide employment for the youth in the government sector. The Congress government has fulfilled the guarantee of restoring old pensions to the employees and giving honorarium of Rs 1,500 every month to women.

Accusing the BJP of neither being employee-friendly nor women-friendly, he said Jai Ram Thakur had even approached the Election Commission to stop this scheme of Rs 1500 being provided to women. “Congress fulfills whatever it says in any situation. The state government has kept a budget of Rs 800 crore for this scheme and all the eligible women of the state will start receiving this amount from June 6,” he asserted.

The BJP is trying to mislead the people of the state, he cautioned, urging the people to refrain from any inducement and vote for Congress to ensure the development of the area.

Appealing to the people to vote for him to ensure his victory with a good margin, Singh said after becoming MP, he would usher in a new saga of the development of the Mandi parliamentary constituency by rising above any party politics.