BJP Rallies Flop as Public Grows Weary of Empty Promises: Sanjay Awasthi

Shimla, May 18, 2024: With the Lok Sabha elections approaching, BJP’s top leaders are suddenly taking an interest in Himachal Pradesh, but their rallies have been poorly attended, leaving leaders like JP Nadda visibly frustrated. Himachal Pradesh Congress Executive President Sanjay Awasthi criticized these rallies as “flop shows,” noting that the public is fed up with BJP’s empty promises.

Awasthi targeted JP Nadda, stating that the people are so disillusioned with BJP’s rhetoric that they are avoiding their rallies. During the severe natural disaster in Himachal, Nadda and his team merely played politics without offering real help. The state suffered a loss of ₹10,000 crore, and 551 lives were lost, yet BJP’s national president and the state’s three MPs failed to advocate for aid from Prime Minister Modi.

Awasthi questioned how Nadda could ask for votes when he did nothing to help during the disaster. Unlike Gujarat and Uttarakhand, no demand was made to declare Himachal a national disaster area. Despite Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s repeated requests to PM Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, they were ignored. Awasthi suggested that BJP feared Congress would take credit if a special package were granted, but timely aid could have significantly helped the affected areas.

Despite this, CM Sukhu’s proactive measures ensured the rescue of 75,000 stranded tourists and over 15,000 vehicles within 48 hours. A special relief package of ₹4,500 crore was created, and the disaster manual was amended to increase compensation for the affected.

Awasthi praised the state government’s achievements under Sukhu’s leadership over the past 15 months, leading to public satisfaction and growing disillusionment with BJP. He concluded that the public is determined to form a Congress-led government at the center in alliance with India.