Shimla: Saying the only path to Himachal Pradesh’s development is a “double-engine government”, BJP national President J.P. Nadda told a massive public gathering in the state capital on Saturday that despite receiving thousands of crores from the Centre, nothing has reached the ground in the Congress-ruled state.
Blaming it for doing ad-hoc governance with a closed treasury and internal discord, the Union Health Minister said the Congress has completely derailed the system in the state. “A Congress that withholds development funds has no right to remain in power. The BJP workers will take the truth to every village,” said Nadda, who belongs to the state that will go to the Assembly polls in late 2027, while addressing the felicitation rally.
Nadda, who earlier laid the foundation stone of the party’s state office here, began his address by seeking the blessings of Maa Tara Devi and Lord Hanuman and said this gathering was not merely a political event, but an occasion to reaffirm the collective resolve for nation-building.
J.P. Nadda, who served as the Forest Minister in the state from 2008 to 2010 before moving to national politics, said the historic and landslide victory in Bihar “is a testament to the people’s unshakeable faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Mothers and sisters, youth, farmers and workers of Bihar have once again endorsed the policies and leadership of Prime Minister Modi.”
He said the mandate from Bihar “sends a clear message across the country that those who attempt to run politics on the crutches of infiltrators have no place in India. No matter how many marches they take out, the people will show infiltrators and their supporters the door.”
Referring to Himachal Pradesh, Nadda recalled that during the previous Assembly elections, he had cautioned the people not to make the mistake of bringing Congress to power, because the only path to Himachal’s development is a double-engine government.
He said now the people “want Himachal to move forward, whereas the Congress politics is limited to eat, drink and make merry. The Congress does not think about the future; it is driven only by the lust for power. Hence, there can be no convergence between the BJP’s vision and the Congress mindset.”
Nadda rose through the ranks from the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the RSS, from where he has managed to build inroads from the university to the state politics. Starting his political career as a student leader of the ABVP in 1978, Nadda had also worked both with Nitin Gadkari and Amit Shah, even in the party’s youth wing — the Bharatiya Yuva Morcha — from 1991 to 1994.
Emphasising organisational strength, the BJP chief said Prime Minister Modi has clearly directed that party offices must be modern and serve as centres of dialogue, churning of ideas and planning. He said the target is to build 787 BJP offices across the country, of which 617 have already been completed. In Himachal Pradesh, nine offices have been completed, and work on the remaining ones is progressing rapidly.
Explaining the BJP’s organisational philosophy, Nadda highlighted the ‘5 Ks’ — karyakarta (workers), karyakram (programmes), course (training), kosh (funds) and karyalaya (office).
The BJP offices, he said, are not merely buildings; they are centres of values and culture, from where the mission of public service, national progress and building a developed India is carried forward.
Nadda said Indian politics underwent a fundamental transformation 11 years ago. Earlier, governments at the Centre were formed, only to later become captive to a particular class, family, caste or religion. Prime Minister Modi changed this course and ushered in the politics of “one voice, one government.”
Modi, he said, considers himself the nation’s Pradhan Sevak (chief servant). Kartavya Path and Kartavya Bhavan symbolise this new politics of duty. He said the BJP government is a report-card government, what it promised, it delivered, and even what it did not explicitly promise, it accomplished.
“In contrast, the UPA’s politics revolved around casteism, appeasement and nepotism, while the BJP’s politics is rooted in accountability and good governance.” Citing recent electoral outcomes, Nadda said in Haryana, the Congress had already ordered sweets and prepared celebrations, yet the people placed their trust in Prime Minister Modi.
“The Congress suffered a crushing defeat in Maharashtra, and Bihar too bestowed a historic mandate.” The BJP’s guiding mantra, he reiterated, is Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas.
Nadda said all political parties other than the BJP are immersed in the pursuit of power and suffer from ideological emptiness. The BJP abrogated Article 370, paved the way for the construction of the Ram Temple, where the flag now flies, and ended the inhuman practice of triple talaq, delivering justice to Muslim women, a reform already implemented in many Muslim-majority countries.
Attacking the Congress, he said the party undermined Vande Mataram and the very spirit of India’s freedom struggle, whereas the BJP practises politics aimed at taking the nation forward. He expressed confidence that the BJP will form governments in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Assam in the times to come.
With over 14 crore members, more than 10 lakh active workers and organisational committees formed at over six lakh booths, the BJP has become the world’s largest political party.
Highlighting India’s transformation under Prime Minister Modi, Nadda said India has become the world’s fourth-largest economy. Over 160 new airports have been built, and ‘Made in India’ now dominates mobile manufacturing. Ayushman Bharat has benefited more than 62 crore people, while sanitation drives and toilet construction have restored dignity to crores of mothers and sisters.
Turning to Himachal Pradesh, the BJP President launched a sharp attack on the Congress government and questioned Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu on what the Centre has denied the state. He said the Centre provided Rs 3,789 crore for disaster relief, over Rs 1,000 crore for Smart Cities, funds for Vibrant Village development, medical colleges, AIIMS Bilaspur, a bulk drug park, four-lane highways, and developed Baddi as a pharmaceutical hub, yet the Congress government continues to spread falsehoods.
Nadda stated that the Centre has sent more than Rs 2,000 crore as special assistance and approved Rs 1,442 crore under JICA funding, but the Congress government utilised only about 50 per cent of the funds in several schemes. A government that cannot utilise funds, he said, has no right to remain in power.
He added that Himachal’s treasury is frequently shut, the entire administration runs on ad-hoc arrangements, and there is no coordination between the Chief Minister and his ministers. The Congress government has not brought even a single concrete project to the Centre.
Challenging it, Nadda said if the state brings any well-prepared project, the Centre will approve it immediately.
He called upon BJP workers to take these facts and truths to every village and town, so that the people of Himachal can free themselves from Congress misrule and move decisively towards development and good governance.
(IANS)
