Congress optimistic of winning tribal seats

Shimla, Nov 13 (UNI) Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) today expressed optimism that the Congress will form the next Government in the state after the assembly elections.

Addressing mediapersons here, party state General Secretary and Spokesman Kuldeep Singh Rathore said BJP rallies in the tribal areas witnessed poor turnout since, it had no mass support.

''While the successive Congress government had carried out phenomenal development works in the tribal areas, the BJP had ignored the areas during its tenure.'' Refuting BJP's state party incharge Satpal Jain's reported remark by state Chief Minister on the Election Commission (EC), he said he had never given any such statement, which was derogatory towards the EC.

The BJP was leveling false charges against the Congress for the sake of gaining political mileage, he said.

Mr Rathore said the BJP has accepted its defeat in the ensuing assembly elections and was trying to pressurize state government employees by issuing ''threatening'' statements time and again.

Reacting to BJP MP Navoj Singh Sidhu's challenge to the Chief Minister for a debate on development in the state, he said Mr Sidhu would do well not to be a ''big mouth''.

''Mr Singh has been in politics for over 40 years. However, we are ready for a debate over the issue,'' he, while accepting the challenge, said.

UNI