"Congress To Remain Out Of Power For 50 Years": Himachal Chief Minister

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Tuesday said the Congress is making false promises but people won't be misled this time and bring back the Bharatiya Janata Party power.

While addressing a poll rally, Mr Thakur said the Congress may be banking on Himachal's convention but people have made up their minds to break from tradition this time and bring back the BJP to accelerate development.

The state, which goes to the polls on Saturday, has a history of alternating between the Congress and the BJP in every assembly election since 1982.

"In Uttarakhand too, the Congress used to say that as per convention, they will come to power. But what happened there? In Haryana too, the same thing used to happen, but BJP came to power there for the second consecutive term," he said.

The Chief Minister said people in Himachal will bring back the BJP to further strengthen the hands of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre and to take the state to new heights of development.

He said, "BJP does what it says. If we talked about scrapping Article 370 in J-K, we did it. If we said a grand Lord Ram temple should be built in Ayodhya, today it is being built there.” Mr Thakur said having strong and decisive leadership at the Centre has helped the nation.

"Earlier, when Pakistan used to cast an evil eye, nothing used to happen but when the Narendra Modi government came to power, they were told to desist from their ill-intentions. It was because of strong leadership, air strike and surgical strikes were carried out," he said.

Mr Thakur dubbed the Congress as a sinking ship and said everyone saw earlier this year the severe drubbing the party received in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls.

The party which ruled the country for a long period has now been rejected by people because they looted this country. I can make this claim that Congress will remain out of power in this country for the next 50 years, the Chief Minister said.

He further said that a time will come when future generations will one day ask when was the Congress in power and when they ruled the country.

"Elections are being held in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat and their leader is currently undertaking Bharat Jodo Yatra. What more is left to connect, Article 370 has been scrapped now,” Mr Thakur said.

"...After the poll results, HP Congress leaders will also go on a yatra," he said.

The people of Himachal Pradesh have seen the development under a BJP government and made up their minds to bring back the party to power, Mr Thakur said.

He said the Congress leaders are rattled when the BJP talks about changing the “rivaj” this time.

The Chief Minister said the Congress has appointed four working presidents in the state, out of which two joined the BJP.

Claiming that the Congress was not in a position to seek votes, Thakur said their situation is such that their senior leader Rahul Gandhi has been sent out on a yatra during election time as his leaders don't want him to come and campaign.

He claimed the Congress leaders didn't want him around during elections as they are not sure what he would choose to say. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)