Himachal Congress and BJP clash over poll guarantees

A heated argument has erupted between the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Himachal Pradesh over the Congress party’s election promises. The debate took place during a discussion on the motion of thanks to the governor’s address in the state assembly. The BJP accused Congress of misleading the public and not fulfilling its pre-election guarantees, especially the promise of giving ₹1,500 to women. The Congress defended itself, saying that it has five years to deliver on its promises.

BJP accuses Congress of misleading voters

The argument started when Satpal Singh Satti, a BJP MLA from Una, criticized the Congress government for not keeping its promises. He accused the Congress of making the governor read false statements during the assembly session, calling it a "breach of trust."

Satti claimed that Congress had promised during the election campaign to give ₹1,500 to all women in the state. He pointed out that the Congress had said this amount would be provided immediately after the first cabinet meeting. However, now the Congress government is saying that the payments will be made in a phased manner over time.

Satti argued that the word "phased" was never mentioned during the election campaign. He accused Congress of changing the definition of its promises after coming to power.

Satti also attacked the Congress government over the financial condition of the state. He claimed that the state treasury is empty, and government employees are struggling to receive their salaries. He said the Congress government had closed 1,400 institutions, abolished the Sahara scheme, and increased the fee for registrations.

He also highlighted the poor condition of the Jal Shakti Department (Water Resources Department). Satti mocked Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri, saying that the government should have focused on actual achievements instead of making false claims.

Satti raised the issue of pending cases under various government schemes:

• 1,436 cases under the Shagun scheme have not been resolved.
• 297 cases under the Mukhyamantri Kanyadan Yojana are still pending.

Responding to the accusations, Chander Kumar, a cabinet minister, defended the Congress government. He said that the Congress government has been given a five-year mandate to fulfil its promises and will do so within that period. He reminded the opposition that Congress had already restored the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) for government employees, which the BJP had removed.

"We have five years to deliver on our promises. You (BJP) do not need to worry about it," Kumar said. He argued that the BJP had treated government employees unfairly, and the Congress government had already started correcting those mistakes.

Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur also criticized the Congress government. He said that Congress had misled the governor by including false claims in the address. He argued that the Congress government should have admitted that it would take five years to fulfill the guarantees instead of making misleading statements.

Thakur said, "The government should stop lying. They have not fulfilled even a single guarantee." He also warned the Congress government that the opposition’s voice cannot be silenced in the assembly.

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Focus on election promises

The ₹1,500 payment to women was one of the key promises made by Congress during the state elections. The Congress had promised to provide financial support to women to help improve their economic condition. However, the delay in fulfilling this promise has led to disappointment among voters and criticism from the opposition.

Congress has maintained that fulfilling the guarantees will take time due to the poor financial condition of the state. The government has said that it is working on implementing the promise in stages, but BJP has insisted that the promise was supposed to be delivered immediately after the first cabinet meeting.

The Congress government had also promised several other guarantees during the elections, including:

• Providing free electricity up to 300 units.
• Creating employment opportunities for the youth.
• Improving healthcare infrastructure in rural areas.
• Increasing pension benefits for senior citizens.

However, the opposition argues that none of these promises have been fully implemented so far.

The Congress government has blamed the delay in fulfilling election promises on the financial burden left by the previous BJP government. According to government officials, the state is facing a financial deficit, which is making it difficult to implement large welfare programs.

The government has also argued that the BJP government left behind a large debt, making it difficult for the Congress government to raise funds for new schemes. The Congress has assured that it will fulfill all promises but needs more time to arrange the necessary resources.

To ease the financial pressure, the Congress government is considering raising revenue through increased taxes and other means. It is also seeking additional financial assistance from the central government to meet its budget requirements.

BJP’s political strategy

The BJP sees the delay in fulfilling election promises as an opportunity to attack the Congress government. BJP leaders have been highlighting the unfulfilled promises in their public speeches and party events.

The BJP is also trying to gather support from government employees and women’s groups who were expecting immediate financial assistance. By keeping the issue alive in public discussions, the BJP hopes to weaken the Congress government’s support base before the next state elections.

At the same time, the BJP has accused Congress of mismanaging state resources and failing to control corruption. BJP leaders have also pointed to delays in infrastructure projects and poor management of state departments as signs of Congress’s failure.

Congress’s response to criticism

Congress has remained firm on its stand that it will fulfill the guarantees within five years. The party has pointed out that restoring the Old Pension Scheme was a major achievement and shows that the government is committed to delivering on its promises.

Congress leaders have also accused the BJP of trying to create instability in the state by spreading false information. The Congress leadership has assured the public that the government will soon start rolling out other promised schemes.

The conflict over election promises is likely to become a major issue in the next state elections. The BJP will continue to use the delay in fulfilling guarantees as a political weapon against Congress.

On the other hand, Congress will try to win back public trust by starting the phased rollout of financial assistance and other welfare programs. The success or failure of these promises could have a direct impact on the outcome of the next state elections.

Political analysts believe that Congress needs to speed up the implementation of its promises to avoid further criticism. At the same time, BJP will try to maintain pressure on the Congress government by highlighting unfulfilled promises and the state’s financial problems.

The battle over election guarantees is likely to shape the political future of Himachal Pradesh in the coming years. Both Congress and BJP are preparing to use this issue to strengthen their positions ahead of the next elections.