Remove hoardings listing government achievements, says BJP

Shimla, Oct 13 (UNI) The Himachal Pradesh unit of the BJP today urged the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) to direct the removal of all hoardings at various places of the state that list the government achievements, saying their removal was essential for ensuring free and fair polls in the state.

Party's state secretary H N Kashyap, in a letter to the CEC and the state's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), said several hoardings listing the Virbhadra Singh Government's achievement during the last few years should be brought down immediately.

''The party wants to bring to your notice that several hoardings with photographs of UPA Chairperson and state Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on the state's National Highway have not been removed,'' he said.

Mr Kashyap said these hoardings also advertise about central government's sponsored National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS), Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan, Prime Minister Grameen Sadak Yoyna (PMGSY), National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) programmes and were against the modal code of conduct.

Besides, these hoardings were also present near all district and tehsil headquarters and highlight the central and state government's commitment towards the rural poor and as such should be removed, he said.

He claimed that the state government was continuing to appoint, promote and give extensions to officials in back date even after the announcement of assembly elections.

The BJP leader urged the CEC and the CEO to ensure that the state government should not make any announcements and appointments after the model code of conduct came into force on October 10 evening.

UNI