Shimla: Heated exchanges were witnessed when leader of opposition Vidya Stokes initiated the debate on the motion of thanks on the governor’s address, saying that for a government claiming to have completed 80 percent of its election commitments within one year, there was nothing much left to be done.
Stokes said that the government was wrongly claiming credit for getting approval for an IIT and a central university to Himachal.
“These institutes were announced by union minister P Chidamabram on October 2, 2007 on The Ridge and how can anybody deny that, she said. Responsibility of getting them started laid with the present government, which is not being denied, she added.
The opposition leader rubbished government claims of having fulfilled 80 percent their election promises. Backlog of jobs for scheduled caste, scheduled tribes was still pending, shelters for stray cattle have not been set up and given the pace with which the monkey sterilization program was proceeding, tackling the menace and saving farmer’s crops would take many years, she said.
Taking umbrage to leader of oppositions statement that the government was merely changing names of schemes and projects, which were started by congress government to claim credit, chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal intervened saying that his government was not involved in a one-upmanship game about it.
No name change of any scheme or project has taken place, the chief minister said. Names of other leaders, which included former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee were being added to new schemes or projects launched, he said.
As Editor, Ravinder Makhaik leads the team of media professionals at Hill Post.
In a career spanning over two decades through all formats of journalism in Electronic, Print and Online Media, he brings with him enough experience to steer this platform. He lives in Shimla.
