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PM politicised inauguration of Atal tunnel, did not announce financial package for Himachal: Congress

Rathore also congratulated the people of Lahaul and Spiti for the inauguration of Atal tunnel. He said the Congress had contributed significantly in the construction of the tunnel, which should have been mentioned.

Updated on: Oct 3, 2020, 17:23:20 IST
Hindustan Times, Shimla | By , Shimla
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Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) president Kuldeep Singh Rathore on Saturday expressed disappointment over Prime Minister Narendra Modi politicising the inauguration of Atal Tunnel and not announcing a financial package for development of the state amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) president Kuldeep Singh Rathore (HT File)
Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) president Kuldeep Singh Rathore (HT File)

In a statement issued here, Rathore said the PM has once again left people of Himachal disappointed and his tour has proved to be political. He said chief minister Jai Ram Thakur claims that Himachal has a very special place in the PM’s heart but it turned out to be a lie. “Even the CM has failed to effectively put the demands of the state before the Prime Minister,” he added.

Rathore also congratulated the people of Lahaul and Spiti for the inauguration of Atal tunnel. He said the Congress had contributed significantly in the construction of the tunnel, which should have been mentioned.

He said the Congress leaders were kept away from the programme organised at Sissu in Lahaul. “Such discrimination was an injustice to the people. It was nothing short of a big festival but the government politicised it by making it a BJP programme,” Rathore said.

He said the new agricultural law that the PM is making big claims about is not going to benefit farmers and horticulturists. “He should have also talked about the promises made to the people of the state but have not been fulfilled till date,” Rathore said.

He said the construction of Rohtang Tunnel, which the PM is describing as the achievement of his government is completely beyond facts.

“In 1972, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi gave her in-principle approval for the construction of the tunnel and in 2010 the UPA president Sonia Gandhi, while accepting the final draft of its construction, laid the foundation stone on June 28, 2010. It would have been better if the PM in his address would have remembered the contribution of former PM Indira Gandhi, Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi in its construction,” Rathore said.

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