Don't Let Congress Sneak Into Power: Rajnath Singh To Uttarakhand Voters

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday appealed to voters in Uttarakhand not to let the Congress "a chance to sneak to power" in the state and ensure continued development under the leadership of Pushkar Singh Dhami.

Crediting Atal Bihari Vajpayee for the creation of Uttarakhand, he said the former Prime Minister had given it a special status for its speedy growth which was withdrawn when the Congress came to power at the Centre.

However, when Narendra Modi became Prime Minister in 2014, the development of Uttarakhand was once again accorded top priority, he said at a rally in Gangolihat of Pithoragarh district.

Big connectivity projects implemented in the state over the past five years, including the Delhi-Dehradun expressway, are proof of this, Mr Singh said.

He claimed the Congress has been wiped out from everywhere but it somehow manages to "sneak to power" in Uttarakhand. "Don't give it another chance." 

"Translating Atal Ji's vision of developing Uttarakhand as a model state to reality is our commitment. We will not let you down," the Union Minister said.

He said the BJP has given clean governments both at the Centre and in the state whereas Congress ministers even went to jail in corruption cases. "Not a single minister in Vajpayee's cabinet or under Narendra Modi has the blot of corruption on him." 

Infighting in the Congress has kept the party from declaring a chief ministerial candidate in Uttarakhand while the BJP is clear who will lead the state after the verdict of the election is out, Mr Singh told the rally.

"A noble, simple and yet fiery young leader like Pushkar Singh Dhami will lead the state after we get your blessings. We are clear about that," he added.