HP CM: A victory over money power

Kullu: Himachal Pradesh chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said on Saturday that the Congress’s win in the byelections was a victory over “dhan bal” (money power).
Addressing a gathering of Congress supporters at his official residence, Oak Over in Shimla, he said people had given a befitting reply to those who betrayed the faith of people. “This is a victory of voters and dedicated efforts of Congress workers.Voters have delivered a strong rebuke to the politics of horse-trading and have voted to maintain political integrity in the state. It has been 25 years since a Congress candidate won in Dehra,” said Sukhu. He said the election outcome had sent a clear message to the entire country. “In future, no candidate of any party in Himachal Pradesh will dare to engage in horse-trading for 50 years,” said the CM. He said attempts to destabilise the govt since Feb 28 had been successfully thwarted and conspiracies to topple an elected govt had failed.
He criticised leader of opposition Jai Ram Thakur for what he described as “his repeated claims of forming BJP govt in the state”. He said despite the clear mandate of public, Thakur continued misleading people by making false and exaggerated claims. Attacking the three former independent MLAs, Sukhu said the three had imposed the byelection on people by conspiring to overthrow the govt. tnn