Himachal Polls: Virbhadra Govt Ended Old Pension Scheme, Priyanka's Promise To Restart It Is Bait: CM Jai Ram Thakur

Himachal Pradesh had a trend of electing Congress and BJP into power alternatively on which CM Thakur said that this tradition will change as BJP will form government for a second consecutive term. 

New Delhi: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur targeted Priyanka Gandhi and the Congress party over their promise to restore the old pension scheme, if elected to power, saying that the scheme was ended by former Chief Minister and Congress leader Virbhadra Singh’s government.

  

“They should understand that It was Virbhadra Singh’s government that ended the old pension scheme. It was his government when the scheme was started in 2003. Then their (Congress) government was in power between 2013 and 2017, why did they not think to restart the scheme then? Now their eyes are on the vote, so they feel that something can be done by giving inducements,” Thakur said in an exclusive interview with ABP News. 

Taking a dig at Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, Thakur said, “A Congress leader has gone on a Bharat Jodo Yatra, while his party's people are engaged on the Congress Choro Yatra (Quit Congress summit).”

“The first objective of any party which contests an election is to campaign from where it is contesting. I don't think he will even go to Gujarat for the election campaign. That's why he probably felt to stay away from the electoral states. Even if he had come, nothing was going to happen,” he said. 

Himachal Pradesh has followed a trend of electing Congress and BJP into power alternatively on which CM Thakur said that this tradition will soon change by electing the saffron party to form a government for a second consecutive term. 

The BJP has remained in power for the terms 1990-92, 1998-2003, 2007-12, and 2017 till now while the Congress was elected to power for following terms 1985-90, 1993-98, 2003-07, 2012-17. 

On party members turning rebel, Thakur said that as the election campaign proceeds this issue will become insignificant.

When asked about Kejriwal’s remark to print images of Lord Ganesh and Goddess Lakshmi on currency notes, he said: “They have also assessed the circumstances of those who used to abuse Hindu gods and goddesses, now they too have started talking about them. It shows their helplessness and is a statement given in compulsion. Because they know that the people of the country have now rejected them.”

Himachal Pradesh’s Assembly term will end on January 8, 2023 and will undergo polls on November 12 and the votes will be counted on December 10.