Only Cong can ensure development in Himachal, says Uttarakhand CM

Denying the BJP charges that the Centre has neglected Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna on Wednesday urged his Himachal counterpart Prem Kumar Dhumal to show proof that this was the case. Bahuguna, who was in Shimla in connection with the November 4 polls, said Dhumal should list out the development proposals that the Himachal government had submitted to the Centre and how many of them had received approval.

"This is a ploy of Himachal Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal to deflect people's attention from the dismal performance of his government," he said.

The Uttarakhand chief minister asserted that only the Congress can ensure development in Himachal. "The BJP government is not a growth oriented and result oriented one. By protesting against FDI, BJP has shown its detrimental attitude. FDI will ensure that farmers get maximum price for their produce," Bahuguna said.

Stating that the Centre has provided a subsidy of Rs 58,000 crore on essential commodities, he said the Congress has made full efforts to curb price hike. As relief to the common man, Bahuguna said the government has increased the number of subsidised cylinders from 6 to 9 per year.

On corruption, the Congress leader accused the BJP of stopping the the Lokpal Bill from being passed in the Lok Sabha. He refused to comment on the graft charges against BJP president Nitin Gadkari.

Bahuguna, however, accused the BJP of indulging in politics of character assassination to mislead people, saying this did not augur well for democracy. "The BJP has used Anna Hazare for political gains and now social activist Arvind Kejriwal has entered politics but he will soon be lost in the political mela," he said. "To mislead people, the BJP is pursuing politics of character assassination. But, this is not in the interest of democracy," the chief minister added.

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