Priyanka hits out at PM for abandoning Himachal Pradesh in crises

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on May 27 took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of abandoning the people of Himachal Pradesh in their hour of need when disaster struck the State following heavy rains in 2023, despite his claims of considering Himachal Pradesh “to be his home”.

Addressing public meetings in Chamba and Shahpur in the Kangra parliamentary constituency, where former Union Minister Anand Sharma is in the fray, Ms. Vadra said the PM had not visited Himachal Pradesh during its time of disaster, and also failed to provide any financial aid to the affected people.

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She said the Congress party never compromised on public interest, and blamed the BJP-led Union government’s policies for rising inflation and unemployment, citing the Agniveer scheme as a prime example. She said that under the Agniveer scheme, youth are left jobless after four years, received no pension, and lacked financial support and status if martyred. The Congress would repeal the Agniveer scheme after coming to power, Ms. Vadra said.

She added that after the formation of the Congress government at the Centre, women would be given ₹8,500 per month, 30 lakh vacant posts in the government would be filled, 50% reservation would be given to women, and farmers would have a legal guarantee for minimum support prices.

Urging voters to elect the Congress, Ms. Vadra said that while the BJP talked about a “double engine” government, the Congress would focus on “double service”.

She said the current Congress government in Himachal Pradesh led by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu was working tirelessly and honestly to serve the people despite numerous challenges, and that all guarantees were being fulfilled. She said that with clear intentions, any government could achieve good results, and the Congress government had demonstrated this. The old pension scheme had been restored, and the announcement to give financial assistance of ₹1,500 as pension to women had been made, Ms. Vadra said.