Congress's First Point Of Order If It Wins Himachal Polls

Congress leader Rajiv Shukla Thursday said if his party comes to power in Himachal Pradesh, the first cabinet decision will be to implement the old pension scheme.

Asserting the old pension scheme is the need of the government employees, he accused the ruling BJP of trying to mislead the people on the issue.

"In our first cabinet meeting, the old pension scheme will be implemented as we have done in Congress-ruled states," Shukla, who is the party's in-charge for Himachal Pradesh, told a press conference here.

Campaigning for the November 12 Himachal Pradesh polls came to an end Thursday evening.

Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Jairam Thakur had alleged the Congress was making the old pension scheme a political issue. He demanded the party's apology, claiming it has no moral right to seek its restoration after ending the old pension scheme and implementing the National Pension Scheme.

Hitting back, Shukla said, "They are trying to mislead. The BJP was in power when on April 10, 1999, the old pension scheme was ended. They speak lies".

About the BJP's promise of rolling out the Uniform Civil Code in Himachal Pradesh if it comes to power for the second consecutive time, the Congress leader said, "Even in Uttarakhand they had promised to implement the Uniform Civil Code. Did they implement it there?" He exuded confidence that the Congress will wrest power from the BJP in the hill state.

"According to the feedback we are getting, the Congress is going to form a government here with an absolute majority. There is a Congress wave in the state," he said while pointing out at "huge crowds" at Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's rally in Sirmaur on Thursday.

"People know that the BJP government here has not done any work. If the BJP has to repeat its 2017 promises in its 2022 manifesto, it means they have not done anything. They are only trying to publicise the non-existent development," he said.

Shukla alleged the BJP has developed a habit of not doing any work, misleading people with publicity and by telling lies. "They have only made tall promises and claims but done no work. People will now teach them a lesson," he said.

"What has the double-engine government done for the last five years? Far better than this is our single-engine government in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan," the Congress leader said.

Himachal Pradesh is under a debt of Rs 70,000 crore whereas there is not a single penny debt in Chhattisgarh, he claimed.

"At least one thing is good that the prime minister yesterday at a poll rally accepted that Congress will form the government here. The tone of his speech in a poll rally was that if Congress government is formed here, then how will you get support from the Centre. So, he accepted the Congress will form a government here," he said.

"No prime minister has the right to say the Centre will not give support (to a state). A government is of all." He asserted that his party will fulfil all its poll promises and has worked out how to generate funds for the poll pledge of giving Rs 1,500 to every woman in the state aged 18 to 60 years. PTI SUN NSD NSD

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