Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024 | 'Congress' history littered with broken promises, people of Himachal were cheated': Anurag Thakur claims in Mumbai

Mumbai: BJP leader Anurag Thakur on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on the Congress, alleging that the party's history was littered with broken promises and people of Himachal Pradesh were paying a price by voting it to power.

Thakur, who is in Maharashtra amid the BJP's campaign for the November 20 assembly polls, urged people to vote for the Mahayuti if they wanted to save the state.

Talking to reporters, the BJP leader highlighted Mahayuti's track record on development, asserting that it is the only choice for those seeking honest governance and sustained progress.

He said the Congress came to power in Himachal Pradesh with a "laundry list of guarantees" about uplifting citizens, and months into its rule, people are left wondering about these promises.

There was not a single party that the Congress never cheated, he said.

"The party's history is littered with broken promises and false assurances, and this time, Himachal Pradesh is paying the price," the former Union minister said.

He said the Congress came to power in Himachal Pradesh promising subsidised power, financial aid for women, affordable milk, and job creation. But months into the Congress rule, Himachal residents were wondering where these promises had gone.

Thakur said the Congress had assured 300 units of free electricity in Himachal Pradesh, but its government has instead imposed a cess on electricity consumption and stopped the BJP's scheme of providing 125 units of power for free.

The Congress manifesto also included a monthly stipend of Rs 1,500 for women, claiming this would benefit 23 lakh women across the state. But on the ground, Thakur claimed not a single rupee has materialised.

"This is nothing but a cruel joke on women who placed their trust in them," he said.

He further alleged that the grand old party's pledge to create five lakh jobs in the northern state remains unfulfilled and is just words on paper.

He said the Congress government introduced new milk prices, increased petrol and diesel VAT, and failed to deliver on its 10 "guarantees", including the widely promoted cow dung procurement scheme to pay Rs 2 per kg of cow dung.

"They haven't even managed to procure cow dung from two people. The whole scheme is laughable," Thakur said.

Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP will be going up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress try to make their mark. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faces a new challenge after Hemant Soren's recent arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP. The Haryana election resulted in a shock loss for Congress, which was looking to galvanize on the Lok Sabha poll performance, while J&K also saw the grand old party eventually stepping away from the cabinet, with Omar Abdullah's JKNC forming government. It remains to be seen if the upcoming polls help BJP cement its position further or provide a fillip to I.N.D.I.A. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.

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