People opted for clean, transparent govt: Sukhvinder Sukhu after Himachal bypolls win
Sukhvinder Sukhu said the attempts to destabilise the government since February 28 have been successfully thwarted
Chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu hailed the Congress’ bypolls victory as a triumph of the people’s mandate over those who had betrayed it, asserting that the electorate had rejected those who relied on “dhan bal (money power)” and instead voted for a clean and transparent government.
Addressing a jubilant gathering of Congress supporters at his official residence, Oak Over, following the party’s victory, he said, “The attempts to destabilise the government since February 28 have been successfully thwarted and the conspiracies aimed at toppling the democratically elected government have failed.”
Sukhu’s comments were a dig at the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, which the Congress had accused of using money power to first lure MLAs into its fold and influence voters in the bypolls.
“This is a victory for the voters of the state and the dedicated efforts of Congress party workers,” the CM said, criticising the leader of the opposition Jai Ram Thakur for his repeated claims of forming a BJP government in the state.
He went on to term BJP’s “Operation Lotus” a big failure and condemned the three independent MLAs for “imposing” the bypolls on the people by conspiring to overthrow the government.
BJP state president Rajiv Bindal, meanwhile, accused the Congress government of misusing its power and resources to influence the bypolls, alleging that the CM spent lavishly and deployed police force to intimidate BJP candidates.
The BJP leader accused the government of corruption, saying the people of Himachal were aware of the government’s corrupt practices and would not be swayed by such tactics.
