BJP leader and former Himachal Pradesh chief minister Jairam Thakur on Friday said the Congress government in the state should not do politics over the death of people in recent calamities and should channelise its energy into ensuring help to the affected people instead.
Thakur, who is the leader of opposition in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly, said Congress leaders should stop indulging in mud-slinging and using foul language against the Central government.
He said the Centre has extended "sizeable help" to the state government and more aid would follow.
The Centre gave Rs 364 crore earlier and then Rs 190 crore again for taking care of natural calamities through the Home Ministry, he said, adding that Union minister Nitin Gadkari also announced Rs 400 crore for the state.
Gadkari has also announced that the central government would spend all the money on repair and restoration of national highways damaged in the state, the former chief minister said.
The Union minister also said that areas within one kilometre of the national highways would be restored by the central ministry, Thakur added.
Besides, Rs 2,700 crore has been earmarked additionally for Himachal Pradesh under the PM Gram Sadak Yojna for specific roads which were damaged recently, he claimed.
"It is unfortunate that the ruling party is continuously saying that the central government has not come to the help of Himachal Pradesh after the recent flooding and landslides. We have to come out in support of people irrespective of whether we are in power or not," he said in a video message.
He said National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams and army and air force personnel have been sent for rescue operations in Himachal.
"...the manner in which ruling party members are talking and indulging in abusive language is not acceptable. If ruling party members are going to calamity-hit areas and taking selfies there, they are free to do so, but the people of Himachal will benefit only is the help received from the Centre is channelised to them.
"Do politics, but not over dead bodies. To say that the Centre has not done anything is nothing but politics.," Thakur said.
For the first time, he claimed, he as the leader of opposition has met central ministers to seek central help. No lead of opposition has done so in the past, he claimed.
Himacal Pradesh has witnessed calamities that have led to the death of several people due to landslides and flash floods at several places in the hill state following head and incessant rains.
Seventy-five people have been killed in rain-battered Himachal Pradesh in the past few days.
Since the onset of the monsoon on June 24, 217 persons have died in rain-related incidents in Himachal Pradesh and 11,301 houses have been partially or completely damaged, according to the state emergency operation centre.
A total of 506 roads are still closed in the state and 408 transformers and 149 water supply schemes have been disrupted.
-With PTI Input
