BJP Attacks Himachal Pradesh Government Over Spurt In Heinous Crimes

The BJP on Saturday launched an attack on the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh for a spurt in heinous crimes and the "virtual collapse" of law-and-order in the state and alleged that political interference and the "government giving protection" to criminals were responsible for the situation.

"There is no government worth its name in the state. Mafias and anti-social elements are active and crimes like rape and murder have shot up in the recent past due to the careless attitude and eroded credibility of the police," a resolution adopted at a meeting of the BJP state executive said.

Talking about the resolution, former chief minister and Kangra MP Shanta Kumar said heinous crimes, like the Kotkhai rape-and-murder case, had not only put a question mark on the credibility and fairness of the state police, but also soiled the image of the state, known as the 'Dev Bhoomi' (The Land of the Gods).

He said two years ago, the World Bank had praised Himachal for its pace of development, but the Gudiya case and other crimes had "shamed" the state and it would take a considerable time to "erase the stigma".Asking Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh to quit on moral grounds in the wake of corruption cases against him and his "utter failure" as far as governance was concerned, Mr Kumar said if he did not resign, the people would show him the door in the state Assembly polls, due later this year.

Expressing surprise over the silence of the Congress high-command on the corruption cases against Singh, who is on bail and frequently visiting Delhi in connection with the cases, the BJP leader said it appeared that there was neither any "high" nor "command" as the party's top leadership was also "out on bail in the National Herald case".

Meanwhile, Mangal Pandey, the BJP in-charge for Himachal Pradesh, who was here for the three-day meeting of the party's state executive, left for Patna after he was informed that he had been inducted into Nitish Kumar's cabinet in Bihar.

Before leaving, Mr Pandey said Bihar had been rid of the "mafias, corrupt politicians and those amassing benami properties" and the "unnatural alliance" between the JD(U) and RJD had died a "natural death".