BJP politicising second capital issue: Virbhadra

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today lashed out at BJP for "politicising" the issue of Dharamsala being made the state's second capital and accused it of fuelling regionalism ahead of Assembly election for political survival.
Addressing a 'Samman Rally' at Matour near Kangra, he said, "State BJP leaders are unnecessarily raking up the second capital issue and their bid to politicise the issue reflects their shallow thinking as the Congress government has been giving due importance to Dharamsala since 1984."
"The Congress government shifted the Board of School Education to Dharamshala way back in 1984 and all important offices of chief engineers of PWD, IPH, HPSEBL were functioning from Dharamsala.

"The tradition of winter sojourn was started way back in 1994, the Assembly started holding session during winters from Prayas Bhawan in 2005 before the present Assembly complex was built and today there is Municipal Corporation in Dharamsala which has also been declared a smart city," he said.
Today, the chief minister began the second leg of his visit to lower areas.
Taking a dig at veteran BJP leader and Kangra MP Shanta Kumar, he said, "I am astonished that instead of welcoming this move and feeling happy about it, he is opposing it and such thinking on his part was rather childish."

He said that though BJP leaders boast of nationalism, whenever elections were around the corner, they talk of regionalism to serve their self-interest and for their political survival.

Without naming anyone, he referred to the cases against him and said that "it is due to instigation of a few state BJP leaders that one Union leader was pursuing cases against me and my single case of income tax is being probed by three investigating agencies, but I am confident that in the end, the truth will prevail".
He said that as a few months were left for Assembly election, many leaders were resorting to cheap tactics to "divide" the people on caste and religious lines to derive political mileage.

Singh announced setting up of a government degree college in Matour and Irrigation and Public Health division in Kangra, according district level status to Dussehra fair of Kangra, and upgradating Primary Health Centre Tiara to Community Health Centre.
He also inaugurated a cow shelter on Kangra bypass and laid the foundation of a Rs 2.70-crore community hall of Shree Brijeshwari Devi.
Urban Development Minister Sudhir Sharma said it was disappointing that the BJP leaders were criticising the announcement made by the chief minister declaring Dharamsala as the second capital.