HPCC hold first meeting of the state unit at Rajiv Bhawan Shimla after the appointment of Virbhadra Singh as party chief. In the meeting, the Congress launched a blistering attack on Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal and vowed to oust the corrupt BJP government out from the power in the coming assembly poll.
In a strongly worded political resolution adopted at the meeting, the party accused the Dhumal-led Govt of conspiring to sell the state’s land and other precious resources and virtually reducing its role to that of a property dealer.
The landmark laws like the Land Reforms and Tenancy Act, framed by the founder of Himachal, Dr YS Parmar, was transformed into a convenient instrument to allow its sale to outsiders. Congress leaders accused CM as “Himachal Vikreta”.
Congress leaders alleged that all BJP Govt policies were designed to facilitate the transfer of land to outsiders, be it private universities or eco-tourism projects and there was hardly any Cabinet meeting in which permission was not granted for the opening of a private educational institution.
Besides, the BJP government had been allotting huge chunks of land to the state cricket association headed by Dhumal’s son Anurag Thakur. Congress leaders accused that a conspiracy was also hatched to facilitate the sale of the Annandale ground and the historic Bantony building. The manner in which permissions were granted within a day to Bemloe Builders to raise apartments in the thickly forested area reflected the functioning of the government.
In the meeting Congress also accused Dhumal led Govt for showering benefits on Jaypee Grpup and had regularised its illegal plant for a paltry Rs 4.5 crore for which the high court imposed a penalty of Rs 100 crore.
In the meeting Congress gave a slogan “Sarkar Badlo, Haalat Badlo” to throw out the Dhumal regime. However, some key senior leaders, Kaul Singh, Viplove Thakur and GS Bali were conspicuous by their absence at the meeting. The meeting was called by Virbhadra to set the agenda for the upcoming state assembly election.
