Himachal CM Sukhu trains guns on Congress rebels: 'Deceived govt, their voters'

Shimla/Hamirpur: Training his guns on Congress rebels, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Wednesday said he never imagined that a few MLAs from Hamirpur will go against the party and hinder the pace of development in the district.

Addressing a gathering at Pakka Bharo after laying the foundation stone of Hamirpur bus stand, he targeted Rajinder Rana (Sujanpur assembly seat) and Inder Dutt Lakhanpal (Barsar assembly segment) without naming them and said they have not only deceived the government but also the people of their respective constituencies.

Six Congress MLAs and three independents who were supporting its government voted in favour of BJP candidate Harsh Mahajan in Rajya Sabha polls held on February 27.

Of the total nine, Congress MLAs Rajinder Rana and Inder Dutt Lakhanpal and Independent MLA Ashish Sharma (Hamirpur assembly seat) are from Hamirpur, Chief Minister Sukhu's home district.

Sukhu represents the Nadaun assembly constituency which falls under Hamirpur district.

"Running from Sujanpur to Shimla and from Shimla to Delhi with folded hands for the fulfilment of the promises made by the Congress in the run-up to the last Assembly polls in Himachal Pradesh did not yield results. I wished for justice, but got only humiliation," rebel party MLA Rajinder Rana had said in a Facebook post addressed to people of Himachal on Tuesday.

Inder Dutt Lakhanpal had said, "Some people will now call us rebels or traitors. But we aren't. We listened to our conscience. It was our personal decision."

Lashing out at the BJP, the chief minister alleged the BJP resorted to unconstitutional tactics to try and overthrow the government. But the people of the state have elected the government and it will complete its tenure, he asserted.

On the bus stand, the CM said its construction work was in a limbo for the past 15 years and now as the foundation stone has been laid, this project will be completed in one and a half years with an outlay of Rs 65 crore.

Earlier, the chief minister inaugurated and laid foundation stones of development projects worth Rs 77 crore. He also flagged off Awahdevi-Hamirpur-Ayodhya HRTC bus service on the occasion.