HPCC terms Sonia's rally successful

Shimla, Nov 1 (UNI) Ridiculing BJP leaders for calling All India Congress Committee (AICC) President Sonia Gandhi's rally at Dharamshala on October 30 a flop, the Himachal Pradesh unit of the Congress today said the BJP leaders were ''unnerved and frustrated due to its success.'' Talking to reporters here, HP Congress Committee (HPCC) General Secretary and party spokesman Kuldeep Rathore said here ''it was an unprecedented and biggest ever held rally'' at Dharamshala and reflected the strong mass party base in the region.

He strongly refuted the BJP's charge that official machinery was used for making the rally a success, saying that all arrangements were made by the party, which paid for the expenses of the rally, including transportation charges.

Referring to reports in a section of the press that Ms Gandhi did not announce any package for Himachal, he said she was only the Chairperson of the UPA and not the prime minister.

Despite occupying no position in the Central Government, she had assured that concerns of the state would be conveyed to the Union Government, he said.

Mr Rathore said former chief Minister P K Dhumal who was talking about discrimination against Kangra should not forget that six of his own MLAs, including three ministers in his cabinet, had also raised the same issue.

Mr Dhumal then dropped them, but re-inducted them without getting the discrimination statement withdrawn from those MLAs, he said.

Reiterating his party commitment for the uniform development of the state, he said the Congress Government had never discriminated against any region or district of the state.

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