Mandi bypoll: Development has failed to reach hill state, says Kanhaiya

Kanhaiya Kumar, one of Congress’ star campaigners, was in the hill state to lend support to Pratibha Singh who has been fielded for the Mandi bypoll scheduled for October 30

One of Congress’ star campaigners and recent inductee former Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union president was in Mandi on Sunday to campaign for Pratibha Singh, who has been fielded from the parliamentary constituency. 

Kanhaiya Kumar has recently joined the Congress and is one of the party’s star campaigners for the Mandi bypoll. (Birbal Sharma/HT)

Slamming the ruling BJP government, he said the Modi government slogan should be “this time an advertisement government. Tourists reach Himachal from different states for its apples, but development does not reach Himachal,” he said.

All India Congress in-charge for Himachal affairs, Rajiv Shukla, said, “One can gauge the level of development in the state from the conditions of the roads. Besides, there has been a hike in fuel prices. Before assuming power, the Prime Minister had promised that the price of petrol will be ₹40 per litre, but the price of diesel is about to reach ₹100.”

Shukla asked people should go through the party’s manifestoes and question the leaders over unfulfilled promises. He also criticised the BJP over the Lakhimpur Kheri incident.

National secretary Sanjay Dutt, state Congress president Kuldeep Singh Rathore, leader of opposition Mukesh Agnihotri, former state president Kaul Singh Thakur, former president Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, district president Prakash Chaudhary, MLA Vikramaditya Singh, general secretary Chet Ram Thakur and former minister Rangeela Rama Rao were also present at the rally.