Shimla (Rural) MLA Vikramaditya Singh on Tuesday said that a cordial relationship between the centre and state is a strong imperative for the development of the state as he urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to have a “big heart” and ensure his support to Himachal Pradesh, his “second home.” Addressing the media here, a son of six times HP Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, Vikramaditya Singh said that “we are a part of the Union of India and financial help is a right of the state.”
He said ideological differences between the Congress and BJP will not come in the way of development and cited the example of former Prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who had kept a working relationship with “personal friend” Virbhadra Singh when he was the CM.
The Congress general Secretary said Himachal Pradesh is under tremendous debt and the government will leverage all its resources such as excise, mining, and forest reserves to increase its income.
He also said all ten guarantees promised by the party in the election manifesto, such as restoration of the Old Pension Scheme, Rs 1,500 to women, Rs 680 crore for youth, and five lakh jobs in government and private sector, will be fulfilled in a phased manner.
He said that he stands by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, adding that party leader Rahul Gandhi has directed the government and organisation to cooperate with each other.
Expansion of the cabinet is the prerogative of the CM and it will be expanded soon with a balance between the region, caste, and age, he said.
Seven out of eight Congress MLAs from Shimla district would unite to work as a team to raise their voice for the district, he said. A total of 5,000 jobs would be created in his assembly segment, he added.
Taking a dig at the former Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, he asked him to keep patience saying the change of administration takes time.
The former CM has not even vacated the official CM residence, he said.
Replying to a question on Bharat Jodo Yatra, Vikramaditya Singh said: “We are members of the Congress party and Rahul Gandhi is our leader and joining the Yatra is our responsibility.”
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)