‘BJP pulling money off people’s pockets’: Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel in Himachal Pradesh

Bhupesh Baghel urges Himachal voters to vote for Congress and attacked BJP over inflation in essential items

Image courtesy: ANI

Solan: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Friday appealed to the people of Himachal Pradesh to make the Congress victorious in the upcoming Assembly polls in the state. He also hit out at the ruling BJP in the state and also at the Centre over inflation and alleged that the government is pulling money out of the common man`s pockets. The remarks of the Chief Minister came while addressing a public meeting in poll-bound Himachal Pradesh`s Solan.

"The BJP govt works to pull out money from your pockets, by increasing the prices of petrol, and diesel. Now they`ve imposed GST as well, 5 per cent on `Rotis` and 18 per cent on `Paranthas`... Make Congress win in Himachal by a 3/4th majority," Baghel said.

He claimed that his government in Chhattisgarh waived off the farm loans within 2 hours as against the deadline of 10 days as promised by the Congress ahead of the state assembly elections in 2018.

"Congress has given you 10 guarantees. I`ll tell you how we`ll come through. I`ve come from Chhattisgarh where Rahul Gandhi promised to waive off farmers` loans in 10 days. Upon govt formation, we did it not within 10 days or 10 hours, but within 2 hours," he added.

Earlier on Friday, Himachal Pradesh will go to polls on November 12 to elect its next government and the results will be declared on December 8, the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced. 

The ECI did not announce the dates of the Gujarat Assembly polls which were also expected to be held by the end of this year. The ECI held a press conference for the election schedule announcement of Assembly elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh on Friday. "We are committed to conducting free and fair elections," says EC commissioner at the press conference.

We are making efforts to increase the participation of people in elections and we also try to manifest women empowerment through elections, he added. 

The term of the Gujarat Assembly ends on February 18, 2023 while the term of the Himachal House will end on January 8, 2023. Himachal Pradesh voted to elect its legislative assembly on November 9, 2017. In the 68-member Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly election, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) defeated the Congress Party and won 44 seats while Congress secured only 21 seats in 2017.