Other States - Himachal Pradesh   

"Congress will hold its fort in Himachal"

Shimla: Undeterred by the recent setbacks suffered by his party in neighbouring Punjab and Uttarakhand polls, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on Tuesday expressed confidence that his party would ``hold its fort'' in the Assembly elections due early next year.

Talking to reporters on the occasion of completion of four years of his Government, Mr. Singh rejected the possibility of a similar election outcome, saying ``ground reality in Himachal Pradesh is totally different. ``Congress, due to its approach towards the poor and downtrodden, lives in their hearts. BJP's euphoria over win in Punjab and Uttarkhand and their assertion to repeat the same in Himachal is misplaced,'' he claimed and described his Government's four-year rule as ``historic.''

The previous BJP rule in the State was marked by ``misrule'' and people would never support the party again, he alleged. The outcome of parliamentary bye-election in Hamirpur would show which way the wind is blowing in the State.'' Mr. Singh also described the annual budget for 2007-08, presented by him in the State Assembly on Monday as ``forward looking and pro-poor''. PTI

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

"Congress will hold its fort in Himachal"

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu