Such Tactics Won't Work: Sukhu To BJP On Congress's Accounts Freeze

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Friday slammed the BJP-led Union government over the freezing of the accounts of Congress party ahead of the Lok Sabha elections and said such tactics would not help it win.

Congress leader Pratibha Singh, who had on Wednesday announced that she would not contest the Lok Sabha elections as the ground situation was not favourable, addressed a press conference along with Sukhu.

The Congress filed income tax but the BJP is resorting to such tactics to win the election, the two Congress leaders said.  

"Mean tactics like seizing the bank account of political parties before elections should not be adopted," Sukhu said.  

Referring to the arrest of Arvind Kejriwal by the Enforcement Directorate, Sukhu said that "it is wrong to put a chief Minister, elected representatives of the public behind the bars" and termed the move as political vendetta of the BJP.  

Pratibha Singh, when asked about her purported remark against inefficiency of the Sukhu government, said, "I have never said that the Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu does not work, do not put words in my mouth."

Pratibha Singh, wife of former chief minister Virbhadra Singh and mother of Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh, had earlier withdrawn her name from the coming fray citing the inactive state of ground workers.

"I have withdrawn my name and conveyed to the High Command that I will not contest the elections and would fully support any candidate which the party central leaders consider suitable.

"I have toured the state extensively and found that no worker is active and in such a situation, it is difficult to achieve success," the state Congress chief had earlier said.  

She added,"I have declined to contest elections as you can't win polls just by distributing MP funds."

Pratibha Singh has been vocal about rewarding such party workers of the organisation who worked hard for Congress's victory and claimed that some party leaders and MLAs were unhappy as their concerns were not being addressed.