BJP supports Dhumal: Shanta Kumar

Dharamshala, May 10 (UNI) Former Union minister Shanta Kumar today said the BJP supported the candidature of former chief minister P K Dhumal for the June 2 Hamirpur Lok Sabha by-polls.

Talking to UNI here, he said the BJP had fielded the strongest candidate for the by-polls and would win the elections with a record number of votes.

Mr Kumar said the announcement of the BJP's candidate had rattled the Congress, which had failed miserably in fulfilling its promises made to the electorate during the last assembly elections.

Referring to the clash between the BJP and the Congress activists here recently, he demanded strict administrative action against the district official concerned who failed to maintain peace in the town.

''It was an administrative mismanagement, which resulted in the trouble. Strict action should be taken against the official concerned,'' he said.

Expressing concern over the district administration acting at the behest of a particular minister, he said the officials should be loyal to the Constitution and not to a particular person.

Replying to a question, he said the party's main plank during the Lok Sabha by-polls would be corruption.

Terming the Congress the ''mother of corruption'', he said rising prices of essential commodities was hurting the common man the most.

Defending suspended MP Suresh Chandel, whose expulsion from the Lok Sabha forced by-polls from Hamirpur constituency, he said no one saw him (Mr Chandel) accepting a bribe of Rs 10,000.

Mr Dhumal would file his nomination papers at Hamirpur on May 14 in presence of party in charge Sahib Singh Verma and other senior party leaders, who would later address a rally there the same day, he said.

UNI