Defeat Pratibha and oust Virbhadra: Dhumal to voters

Senior BJP leader Prem Kumar Dhumal today launched a scathing attack on Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh accusing him of ruining the economy of the state, and appealed to defeat his wife Pratibha Singh in Mandi Lok Sabha by-election.
He also alleged that the chief minister failed to get special financial assistance from the Centre.
The former chief minister said that the special plan assistance in the annual plan of 2012-13 was Rs 1,400 crore which had been reduced to Rs 1,350 crore in the current year, while the special assistance to Uttarakhand was increased from Rs 1,000 crore to Rs 1,050 crore.

"The Special Plan Assistance was Rs 524.75 crore when BJP left the government in 2002-03 which was reduced to Rs 342 crore in 2007-08 during the Congress rule," he said.
He said that during BJP regime, the Special Plan Assistance was increased to Rs 450 crore in 2008-09 from Rs 342 crore, an increase of Rs 108 crore.
"It is unfortunate that Virbhadra Singh has even failed to maintain the present level of the Special Plan Assistance and agreed for a cut of Rs 50 crore in the Special Plan Assistance in the annual plan of 2013-14," he said.