Amit Shah to address three poll rallies in May in Himachal Pradesh

Amit Shah

Shimla: BJP president Amit Shah will address three election rallies in Kangra, Hamirpur and Shimla parliamentary segments of Himachal Pradesh in May, a state BJP leader said.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief will hold his first rally in Chamba on May 5 for party candidate Kishan Kapoor contesting from Kangra constituency, state BJP general secretary Chandra Mohan said.

On May 12, he will address rallies in Hamirpur for party candidate Anurag Thakur and Nahan for Suresh Kashyap, the BJP candidate from Shimla Lok Sabha seat, he added.

Voting for the four Lok Sabha seats-- Shimla, Mandi, Kangra and Hamirpur-- in Himachal Pradesh will take place during the final phase on May 19.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the saffron party had won all the seats.

Last week, Shah said the people involved in the chit fund and mining scams will be sent to jail once the party forms a government in Odisha.

"Even though the babus of (Odisha Chief Minister) Naveen Patnaik indulged in corruption, he never acts against them," Shah said, while addressing an election rally in Keonjhar.

He also said that while Odisha is rich in natural resources and minerals, the people of the state continue to remain poor because of serial corruption by the state government.

"Due to the complete lack of employment opportunities in Odisha, its youth has to migrate to other states to earn their livelihood," he said.

Shah also highlighted the issue of water scarcity in the state, poor healthcare and the problem of paucity of teachers in schools.

Shah slammed Naveen Patnaik for his poor understanding of the Odia language even after ruling the state for 19 years.

"Naveen babu has ruled Odisha for 19 years, but still can't talk in Odia to his people. You need a Chief Minister who can interact with you in your language," the BJP President said.

He said Rs 1,600 crore has been allocated to the Keonjhar district under the District Mineral Foundation Fund.

A medical college is also being built with money from the Centre, without a single paisa being spent on its construction by the Naveen Patnaik-led government, he added.

"You have given several chances to Congress and the BJD (Biju Janata Dal) to govern the state. Give a chance to BJP, we will make Odisha the number one state of the country," said Shah.

The BJP president also made a host of promises to Keonjhar's voters .

"The Modi government has worked a lot for the development of Odisha. Make Narendra Modi the Prime Minister again, and he will establish the steel plant in Keonjhar," said Shah.

"All forest produce will be procured at MSP (minimum support price) by the government from the tribals. GST (Goods and Services Tax) will not be levied on kendu leaves," he said.

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