Congress couldn't gather courage to declare its chief ministerial candidate for Uttarakhand, says Rajnath Singh

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday criticised the Congress party and said the party could not gather the courage to declare its chief ministerial candidate for Uttarakhand.

"Congress party could not gather the courage to declare its chief ministerial candidate for Uttarakhand. They are fighting this election keeping the people of Uttarakhand in the dark, which no political party should do," BJP leader Singh said today.

Singh said that BJP governments at the Centre and the state have taken the state to new heights of development in the last five years.

"The BJP governments at the Centre and the state together have taken the state to new heights of development in the last five years. To create a new Uttarakhand, the people of the state have made up their minds to elect the BJP again," the Union Minister said.

Mentioning the tenure of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for according special status to Uttarakhand, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh earlier in Kapkot today slammed Congress for stripping off this status and lauded the Centre for reinstating it.

"Atal Bihari Vajpayee accorded special status to Uttarakhand. But when Congress came to power in the state and Centre, it stripped the state of the special status. When PM Modi came to power, he reinstated the status," Defence Minister and BJP leader Rajnath Singh said.

He added, "Congress should be questioned why they scrapped the special status accorded to Uttarakhand by Atal Bihari Vajpayee. What was its crime? Still, people of the state showed large-heartedness and formed Congress government in the state from time to time."

The stage is set for Assembly elections in Uttarakhand as campaigning in the state came to an end on Saturday. The states will go to Assembly polls in a single phase on February 14 and the counting of votes will take place on March 10.

( With inputs from ANI )

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