Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], May 19 : Launching a blistering attack on the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh, Leader of the Opposition (LoP) and senior BJP leader Jairam Thakur accused Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu of attempting to manipulate the outcomes.
Speaking tofollowing the counting of votes for the Municipal Councils and Nagar Panchayats, the former Chief Minister highlighted the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) dominant performance at the grassroots level.
"The BJP has taken the lead in 18 out of the 25 Municipal Councils, and is ahead in 12 out of the 22 Nagar Panchayats. Subsequently, facing pressure from his own party colleagues, he (CM Sukhu) began claiming that it was the Congress that had won", he said.
Rubbishing the Chief Minister's claims of a Congress victory, Thakur added, "Had there been any truth to that claim, we would have readily accepted it; however, the reality is that the people have delivered a clear message through these Municipal Council and Nagar Panchayat elections: a message to oust the Congress."
"In Himachal Pradesh, the Congress party seems to have resolved to determine how they can manipulate election results by exerting pressure," Thakur stated, slamming the state government's administrative conduct.
Commenting on the broader political scenario, Thakur said the BJP was confident of performing strongly in the upcoming elections to municipal corporations, zila parishads, block samitis and panchayats."I am fully confident that the BJP will secure victories in the upcoming municipal corporation elections and also perform strongly in zila parishad, block samiti and panchayat polls," he said.
Reacting to the swearing-in ceremony of the new government in Kerala, Thakur said the Congress should not become overexcited over success in a single state."Congress has been wiped out from most parts of the country. If it has formed a government in one state, that mandate should be respected, but the party leadership must understand the overall political situation across the country," he added.
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