Express News Service
NEW DELHI: With barely a week go for the Assembly polls in Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister and Congress election-in-charge Bhupesh Baghel said that the Bharatiya Janata Party’s promise of implementing the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the state, is an election gimmick to hoodwink the public. In an interview with this newspaper, Baghel said that the BJP government in Uttarakhand is yet to implement the UCC though it promised to bring the law during the assembly election campaigns.
“Have the Uttarakhand government implemented Uniform Civil Code? It’s just to mislead people. The law has to be passed by the Parliament. Let them discuss it in the Lok Sabha. They are only eyeing the elections,” said Baghel.
The BJP, in its manifesto which was released on Sunday, promised implementation of the UCC and 33 per cent reservation for women in government jobs in Himachal Pradesh if the party is re-elected to power.Baghel denied allegations that the Congress is facing a leadership vacuum after the passing away of Virbhadra Singh, the six-time chief minister and former Himachal Congress chief.
“Though Virbhadra Singh passed away, we have a second line of leadership,” he said. While the BJP and its leaders target the Congress for not announcing its Chief Ministerial candidate and for internal friction, Baghel said that the party is contesting under a collective leadership and it will decide the CM candidate if it emerges as the winner. “We have decided from the beginning that we will fight with collective leadership and decide on CM after the results if we win,” he said.
Knives are out in the BJP, which prides itself as a cadre-based party, said Baghel. The party is grappling with a rebel problem, he said. “The BJP is not able to contain the rebellion in the party. There are many rebels in the fray. Though PM Modi asked the rebels not to contest, they are not listening. It’s the rebels who are going to cut BJP’s votes,” he said.
Though both the BJP and Congress are battling with rebellion problems, Baghel maintained that it will not impact the prospects of the party in the polls. Last week, two prominent leaders of Congress, including former AICC secretary Rakesh Kalia and former MLA Vijai Singh Mankotia joined the BJP. Baghel blamed the BJP for putting pressure on Congress leaders to jump the ship.
NEW DELHI: With barely a week go for the Assembly polls in Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister and Congress election-in-charge Bhupesh Baghel said that the Bharatiya Janata Party’s promise of implementing the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the state, is an election gimmick to hoodwink the public. In an interview with this newspaper, Baghel said that the BJP government in Uttarakhand is yet to implement the UCC though it promised to bring the law during the assembly election campaigns.
“Have the Uttarakhand government implemented Uniform Civil Code? It’s just to mislead people. The law has to be passed by the Parliament. Let them discuss it in the Lok Sabha. They are only eyeing the elections,” said Baghel.
The BJP, in its manifesto which was released on Sunday, promised implementation of the UCC and 33 per cent reservation for women in government jobs in Himachal Pradesh if the party is re-elected to power.
Baghel denied allegations that the Congress is facing a leadership vacuum after the passing away of Virbhadra Singh, the six-time chief minister and former Himachal Congress chief.
“Though Virbhadra Singh passed away, we have a second line of leadership,” he said. While the BJP and its leaders target the Congress for not announcing its Chief Ministerial candidate and for internal friction, Baghel said that the party is contesting under a collective leadership and it will decide the CM candidate if it emerges as the winner. “We have decided from the beginning that we will fight with collective leadership and decide on CM after the results if we win,” he said.
Knives are out in the BJP, which prides itself as a cadre-based party, said Baghel. The party is grappling with a rebel problem, he said. “The BJP is not able to contain the rebellion in the party. There are many rebels in the fray. Though PM Modi asked the rebels not to contest, they are not listening. It’s the rebels who are going to cut BJP’s votes,” he said.
Though both the BJP and Congress are battling with rebellion problems, Baghel maintained that it will not impact the prospects of the party in the polls. Last week, two prominent leaders of Congress, including former AICC secretary Rakesh Kalia and former MLA Vijai Singh Mankotia joined the BJP. Baghel blamed the BJP for putting pressure on Congress leaders to jump the ship.
