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With just 24 hours left for the high-voltage campaigning for the November 9 assembly polls in Himachal Pradesh to end, a galaxy of senior Bharatiya Janata Party leaders descended, or rather ascended, on the hill state and addressed over a dozen rallies on Monday.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Information and Broadcasting Minister Smriti Irani, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat reached the poll-bound state besides Union ministers J P Nadda and Thawar Chand Gehlot, and Bihar minister Mangal Pandey, who are already camping here.
Pandey, who is also in-charge of party affairs for Himachal took a dig at Rahul Gandhi saying that the spectre of a loss in Gujarat was haunting the Congress vice president.
“The ghost of defeat in Gujarat is haunting Rahul Gandhi in Himachal also as he focused on more on Gujarat than on Himachal even during his rallies here today,” Pandey said.
It seems that the Congress has already conceded defeat is now scared of facing the public, he said.
Taking a jibe at Gandhi for his reported statement that corruption was less in Himachal, Pandey said that for the Congress party which is involved in scams worth Rs 12 lakh crore between 2004-2014, corruption in Himachal could be less but not for the people who have been looted in the name of governance.
Defending demonetisation, Pandey said that as a result of demonetisation 3 lakhs shell companies were unearthed.
“Rahul Gandhi was not appraised of the ground realities in the state as he lauded the education system in the state where ‘dhabas’ have been converted into colleges which are facing acute shortage of staff and infrastructure,” he said.
Meanwhile, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Monday claimed that Himachal would follow the neighbouring Uttarakhand and BJP will win 55 out of 68 seats.
He said the people were fed up with corruption and ‘Mafia Raj’ in Himachal and alleged that increasing crimes against women had converted the state from ‘Dev Bhumi to Apradh Bhumi’ (abode of Gods to abode of crime).
Addressing a meeting at Rampur in Shimla district, he said demonetisation and GST were two revolutionary economic reforms that would go a long way in combating corruption.
He claimed that the Congress and other parties had not been able to find a single case of corruption against Modi government during past three-and-a-half years.
Union Minister Smriti Irani also addressed a meeting at Rohroo and appealed to people to bring BJP to power with a massive majority.