Shanta repressed people during his tenure, says Congress
Shimla, May 18 (UNI) The Himachal Pradesh unit of the Congress today said former union minister Shanta Kumar has no right to point fingers at the Congress when he had followed ''repressive policies'' during his tenure.
Addressing mediapersons here, party's spokesman Kuldeep Singh Rathore said the BJP leader who had ordered firing on peaceful agitations of the state government employees and horticulturists, had no moral right to point fingers at the Congress Government.
He said while Mr Kumar was accusing the state government of several commissions and ommissions, he has very conveniently forgotten his tenure when he followed repressive policies on his own people.
It seems that former chief minister P K Dhumal did not need his services that is why he has been asked to campaign for party candidates in the Shimla Municipal Corporation (SMC) elections, he wondered.
Referring to the police baton charge on agitating students way back in 1977 during Mr Kumar's first stint as state chief minister, Mr Rathore said the police not only brutally beat up the students in front of the town's reporting room, but also fired on the agitating students at Mandi town, injuring several.
Similarly, during his second tenure, he ordered firing on the agitating horticulturists who were demanding support price for their produce in 1989, resulting in the death of five people, the Congress leader said.
He said Mr Kumar's election campaign for the BJP candidates would have no effect as the people have already decided to vote against it for following various anti-people polices during his tenures.
UNI