Shimla: Trying to get its act together Congress declared its intent to launch Mission BJP Delete as the party attempts to regain power in November general assembly elections even as the party demanded removal of health minister Rajeev Bindal over the serious charge leveled against him by regional outfit Himachal Lokhit Party (HLM).
Talking to reporters Kuldeep Singh Pathania, Congress spokesperson, said the minimum chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal could do was to remove the health minister from the council of ministers after serious charges of land grab and acquiring several assets were leveled against him by former BJP members who have floated HLM.
He said the charges leveled by HLM spokesman Mohinder Sofat before the media were serious and reinforced what congress has been saying all along about political bigwigs in power or close to the government having accumulated land banks.
The reasons for the BJP government failed attempt to amend and raise permissible land holding under the HP Land Ceiling Act were always suspect as the party was blatantly trying to legalize access lands acquired by the land mafia, said Pathania.
Congress demands a CBI probe into assets accumulated by Rajeev Bindal, he said.
Pointing out lapses in the controversial Apartment Act, the Congress spokesman said that despite the chief minister declaring the governments intention of repealing the act last year and a Vidhan Sabha select committee having recommended it, the BJP government has turned around and granted more permissions to colonizers and builders under the act for undertaking commercial ventures.
About a stalled city ropeway project here, he said Congress and the people want to know who has been held accountable for permitting construction of 2 additional unauthorized floor when the sanction was for 11 floors.
Drawing a list of issues like violations in the admission procedures of private universities, failure of the state to use central funds provided under programs like rural employment scheme (MNREGA), national health mission, providing of health smart card to deserving families, failure of food samples provided under public distribution systems, fraud in procuring of pulses, non availability of ration cards and others, the Congress spokesperson said the over 4 years corruption driven BJP government had failed on all fronts.
He said that during the budget session Congress would protest and launch ‘Mission BJP Delete’ program that would carry on till election time later in the year.
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.
