BJP Himachal President Rajeev Bindal details the party's plan to strengthen its organisation at the booth level. He slammed the Congress government over its finances, borrowings, and unfulfilled election promises, while highlighting BJP's local poll wins.
BJP Himachal Pradesh President Rajeev Bindal, while addressing the media in Hamirpur, said the Bharatiya Janata Party was continuously working to strengthen its organisational structure and make its network more effective down to the polling-booth level.
Bindal said the BJP had reorganised its earlier 74 mandals into 171 mandals and created 17 organisational districts in Himachal Pradesh. The organisational structure has also been constituted at nearly 8,000 polling booths, while the formation of various morchas and cells has been completed. He said the party was now focusing on strengthening this organisational structure at the grassroots. A two-day training camp is being organised in Hamirpur for this purpose.
According to Dr Bindal, the BJP will deploy 171 Vistaraks for its 171 mandals. Each Vistarak will work with the respective Mandal President to further strengthen the organisation at the booth level. Bindal said, “Our clear belief is that the real strength of an organisation lies at the booth. We have a provision for monthly meetings at nearly 8,000 polling booths, and meetings are presently being held at approximately 6,000 to 7,000 booths every month. This two-day training programme is aimed at making this system even stronger.”
BJP Questions State Government's Financial Health
Bindal raised questions over the financial position of the state government and referred to the latest Rs 600 crore borrowing by the Himachal Pradesh Government. The state has announced another ₹600 crore market borrowing, taking its announced market borrowings during the current financial year to around ₹4,800 crore. The latest borrowing is through the re-issue of a 7.78% Himachal Pradesh Government security maturing in June 2044. Dr Bindal claimed that borrowings during the tenure of the present government had crossed ₹45,000 crore. He demanded that the government place before the public a detailed account of how much borrowed money had been spent on development works and how much had gone towards committed liabilities and other expenditure.
He also raised the condition of rural and link roads across the state, saying that many roads were in poor condition. Dr Bindal referred to the role of centrally funded projects such as the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, national highways, four-lane highways and other central road projects, and said the state government should clearly present its own contribution towards development expenditure.
Allegations of Excessive Publicity Spending
Bindal alleged that the Congress government had spent around ₹1,000 crore on publicity and promotion during its tenure. This figure was presented by him as a political allegation and was not accompanied in the statement by an official expenditure breakdown. He also questioned the scale of publicity surrounding the Kishau Dam agreement and alleged that extensive hoardings had been put up across the state.
Bindal said, “When poor people are concerned about the cost of medical treatment, employees and pensioners are raising issues regarding their financial dues, and people are seeking basic public services, the government must explain how much money has been spent on publicity and why such expenditure was considered necessary.” He also raised issues relating to treatment under HIMCARE and Ayushman Bharat, and called upon the government to disclose the current status of payments due to hospitals under these schemes.
Success in Local Body Elections
Referring to the recently held Zila Parishad elections, Dr Bindal said elections for the posts of president and vice-president had been completed in 11 of the 12 Zila Parishads, with BJP-backed candidates securing the leadership in 10 of the 11. He further claimed that elections had been completed in 87 of the state's 92 Block Development Committees and BJP-backed candidates had secured the posts of president and vice-president in 60 BDCs. Referring specifically to Hamirpur, Dr Bindal said elections had been completed in five of the district's six BDCs and BJP-backed candidates had secured the leadership in four. He also questioned the delay concerning the Nadaun BDC and raised the issue of elections to the Hamirpur Municipal Corporation.
Bindal Accuses Govt of Misusing Power and Failing Promises
Bindal accused the state government of using FIRs against political opponents and described it as an “FIR government.” He said criticism of a government was an integral part of democracy and legal action against political opponents must always follow impartial and uniform standards. He also raised questions over increases in various duties, registration charges, electricity costs, bus fares and other charges. Bindal said the government should place the old and revised rates of all such charges before the public so that people can understand their actual financial impact.
Bindal questioned the implementation of promises made by the Congress before the 2022 Assembly election. He referred to the promises concerning ₹1,500 per month for women, employment opportunities for youth, electricity relief and milk procurement, and demanded that the government release a guarantee-wise progress report after nearly four years in office. He said the government should disclose how many women were presently receiving the ₹1,500 assistance, how many youths had received regular government employment, how many consumers had benefited from promised electricity relief and how many livestock farmers had benefited from milk procurement measures.
Internal Unity and Other Issues
Responding to questions regarding alleged factionalism within the BJP, Dr Bindal said, “The Bharatiya Janata Party was united, is united and will continue to move forward united.” He said the BJP was an organisation where both experienced and new workers were being accommodated and given responsibilities. He rejected claims of divisions within the state BJP and said the party's organisational activities were being carried out collectively.
On Construction Quality and Women's Dignity
Responding to questions regarding the quality of construction on highway and four-lane projects, Dr Bindal said there should be no compromise whatsoever on construction quality. He referred to improvements in travel between Chandigarh and Hamirpur due to four-laning, tunnels and flyovers. He said the Kangra-Shimla and Matour-Mandi four-lane corridors would be important for Himachal Pradesh's future connectivity and stressed that technical quality and public safety must remain priorities during construction.
Responding to a question concerning an alleged personal remark against a woman in Una and the subsequent FIR, Dr Bindal said the BJP was fully committed to the dignity and respect of women and did not support objectionable personal remarks against women. He referred to the law providing 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies, describing it as an important measure towards increasing women's participation in political decision-making.
Bindal said the BJP would continue strengthening its organisation down to the booth level while raising issues concerning employment, healthcare, roads, financial management and public services in Himachal Pradesh. (ANI)
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