Addressing a press conference, BJP state spokesperson Sanjay Sharma said elections to Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRI) had become an occasion for the public to seek accountability from the Congress after being in power for more than three-and-a-half years.
Sharma alleged that the Congress had made several promises in its election manifesto, including providing Rs 1,500 every month to women, one lakh government jobs annually for youth and 300 units of free electricity to every household, but had failed to deliver on these.
“The Congress leaders had claimed these decisions would be taken in the first Cabinet meeting. Today, the government is retreating from its own guarantees,” he said.
He said Himachal Pradesh was a power-surplus state and among the country’s leading electricity producers, yet consumers were not being given relief. Sharma claimed the previous BJP government, led by Jairam Thakur, had provided up to 125 units of free electricity to low-consumption households and reduced bus fares for women by 50 per cent, while the present government had withdrawn such benefits.
The BJP leader also accused the Congress government of failing to protect industries and employment opportunities in the state. He alleged that industries established under earlier BJP governments were shutting down, causing job losses among local youth.
Sharma also criticised the installation of smart electricity meters, claiming people feared inflated electricity bills and alleging that officials were threatening residents with FIRs if they opposed meter installation.
Warning of a statewide agitation, Sharma said the BJP would not remain silent if the government continued to “mislead and intimidate” the public.
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