The fight between Congress and BJP for Mandi parliamentary by- poll is gradually getting murkier with allegations and counter allegations on each other by the party leaders, including former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal and Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, even as the real issues have taken a back seat.
In his campaign, Virbhadra Singh alleges that the previous BJP Government was involved in large scale scams and benefitted only the few and ignored the larger interest of the State. Dhumal, on other hand, cites policy paralysis in not only the State Government but also the UPA Government at the Centre.
On Sunday, Virbhadra Singh alleged that due to faulty economic policies of the previous BJP Government, the State is under intense loan liability and has plunged into financial mess which Congress is trying to overcome.
Replying to the allegations, Dhumal criticised the chief minister for failure to get additional assistance from the centre during his tenures as chief minister of the State. “State Government has taken a loan of Rs1700 crore in three months and the State is heading for a financial crunch and the continuation of Virbhadara Singh as Chief Minister will lead to financial disaster in the State,” added Dhumal.
He said that the special plan assistance in the annual plan 2012-13 was Rs1400 Crore, which has been reduced to Rs1,350 Crore in the next year’s annual plan of 2013-14 by the Planning Commission. Dhumal said that he got the Special Plan assistance of Rs1,400 crore in the Annual Plan of 2012-13, which was an increase of Rs400 crore over the annual plan of 2011-12.
He said that the Uttrakhand chief minister has managed to get the Special Plan Assistance increased from Rs1,000 crore in 2012-13 to Rs1,050 in 2013-14. “Virbhadara Singh has failed to present the case of Himachal Pradesh before the Planning Commission,” added Dhumal.
Not only Dhumal and Virbhadra Singh but even the candidates-- Congress candidate Pratibha Singh and BJP candidate Jai Ram Thakur are also leaving no stone unturned to level allegations and counter allegations.
Thakur alleges that when Pratibha Singh was MP from Mandi she did not even spent MPlAD funds for the constituency and visited only at the time of poll. Countering Thakur’s allegation, Pratibha Singh says that people of Mandi know very well who had done work and who hasn't.
Amid allegations and counter allegations, the real issues of Mandi stands neglected like that of bad condition of roads, managing or plan for de-congestion of tourists at hot-spots like Kullu and Manali, law and order
situation at the time when US national was gang-raped in Manali, besides other issues.