Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India] August 31 (ANI): The President of BJP Himachal Pradesh, Rajeev Bindal, on Monday said the party would launch a month-long 'Seva Sankalp Abhiyan' across the State from September 17 to October 17 to mark Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 25 years of public service and his birthday.
Addressing a press conference at the BJP office 'Deep Kamal' in Shimla ahead of a series of party meetings, Rajeev Bindal said Modi would complete 25 years of public service on October 7, having served as Chief Minister of Gujarat and subsequently as Prime Minister of the country.
He said the campaign would begin on Modi's birthday on September 17 and seek to encourage people to dedicate themselves to public service and contribute towards the goal of making India a developed nation by 2047.
"Seva (service) has been made the sole objective of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's life. During these 25 years, he has worked with a spirit of dedication to the nation," Rajeev Bindal said.
As part of the campaign, he said, people would be encouraged to light a lamp at their homes on September 17 as a symbol of their commitment to service and to the vision of a developed India by 2047.
The BJP leader said blood donation camps would be organised across Himachal Pradesh on Modi's birthday under the leadership of the party's youth wing. He said the BJP would seek to ensure that the available capacity of blood banks was utilised fully and that the requirement for blood was met through the campaign.
He said the party would also organise competitions for schoolchildren, including painting and speech contests, around themes such as "What was my India, what is it today and what will India be like in 2047".
The campaign would also focus on the transformation India has undergone during the past 25 years and the vision of a developed India, he said.
Rajeev Bindal said the BJP's state workshop being held in Shimla would prepare a detailed month-long programme covering different forms of social service.
These would include cleanliness drives, blood donation, medical camps, service activities at orphanages and old-age homes, water conservation, plantation drives and other community-service initiatives.
He said women would also participate in programmes such as rangoli-making centred on the themes of service, Modi's life and the vision of a developed India.
Turning to state politics, Rajeev Bindal said the BJP had earlier announced that it would launch public movements over local issues during August and claimed that programmes had been held at 121 locations across Himachal Pradesh.
He said the protests focused on damaged roads, alleged non-fulfilment of the Congress government's guarantees and what he termed a "developmental standstill" in the state.
He said the BJP also held demonstrations at 17 district headquarters over the problems of unemployed youth, alleging that educated young people had been misled by the Congress government's electoral guarantees.
Rajeev Bindal said the BJP would continue its agitation in September and organise public movements at between 117 and 170 locations on local issues, besides holding demonstrations at 17 district headquarters over issues concerning women.
He accused the Congress government of having failed to fulfil its employment-related promises.
"The government came to power on the basis of false guarantees, but after four years, around 1.07 lakh posts are still vacant in the state government. Not even a single permanent government job with the promised benefits has been provided," he alleged.
He said attempts to use electoral-year promises to divert public attention would not succeed.
Rajeev Bindal also raised objections over the alleged use of funds being released to panchayats under the 16th Finance Commission.
He alleged that after the completion of Panchayati Raj elections, funds had started reaching the elected panchayats, but officials of the Finance Department were allegedly calling meetings of panchayat pradhans and directing them to deposit 50 per cent of the funds meant for development works with the Irrigation and Public Health (IPH) and Public Works Department (PWD).
Rajeev Bindal alleged that the funds had been provided by the Centre under the Finance Commission mechanism and accused the state government of attempting to curtail the powers of elected Panchayati Raj institutions.
"This is an attempt to take away the rights of elected Panchayati Raj institutions. The BJP will not accept the curtailment of the powers of panchayats at any cost," he said.
He maintained that elected panchayats should have the authority to utilise the funds available to them according to applicable rules and regulations and in the public interest.
Responding to questions about Modi's contribution to Himachal Pradesh, particularly BJP's response to Congress allegations of discrimination against the state, Rajeev Bindal said the Prime Minister's contribution to Himachal had been "unprecedented".
He cited the expansion of road infrastructure under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, saying around 20,000 km of rural roads had been constructed in Himachal Pradesh, of which approximately 15,000 km were built during Modi's tenure.
He also credited the Modi government with sanctioning the state's major four-laning projects and cited the construction of the Atal Tunnel at Rohtang, infrastructure being developed towards Ladakh and the strengthening of roads under the Border Roads Organisation.
Rajeev Bindal also referred to the expansion of railway infrastructure and said the railway had reached Bilaspur during Modi's tenure.
He cited the implementation of Ayushman Bharat, under which he said lakhs of families in Himachal Pradesh had benefited, adding that the Himcare scheme was subsequently launched by the state government on a similar model.
He said around 11 lakh families in the state had benefited from the PM-KISAN Samman Nidhi, while around 1.10 lakh families had received houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.
He also mentioned Jan Dhan accounts, insurance coverage and benefits available to senior citizens above 70 years of age.
Rajeev Bindal said the Modi government had also contributed significantly to the expansion of medical and educational infrastructure in the state, including the establishment of AIIMS Bilaspur and an Indian Institute of Management, besides providing funds for medical colleges, trauma centres and cancer treatment facilities.
He claimed that Himachal Pradesh had received significant financial support for education and healthcare during the Modi government.
The BJP president also credited the Centre with restoring the state's special funding pattern, saying the 90:10 funding arrangement was revived in 2016 after it had earlier been withdrawn, resulting in thousands of crores of rupees in benefits to Himachal Pradesh for development projects.
Rajeev Bindal strongly opposed the State government's decision to restart the lottery system in Himachal Pradesh after a gap of about 25 years.
He alleged that the government was seeking to generate revenue by pushing people towards gambling and warned that the BJP would oppose the move.
"The people of Himachal Pradesh cannot be pushed into a pit merely to earn a few hundred crores of revenue," he said.
Rajeev Bindal said lotteries had destroyed families and claimed that the decision to discontinue the system had earlier been taken after careful consideration by the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
He alleged that bringing back lotteries to generate revenue would result in social and economic harm to thousands of families.
"We do not accept the lottery system at any cost. The BJP and the people of the state will not accept any action that destroys the lives of our people," he said.
Rajeev Bindal said the party would continue to raise the issue and oppose the government's decision to revive the lottery system. (ANI)
BJP to launch month-long 'Seva Sankalp Abhiyan' in Himachal from Sept 17: Himachal BJP Prez Rajeev Bindal
