Himachal Pradesh Congress chief Pratibha Singh and her team visited rain and flood-hit areas of Sarkaghat assembly segment in Mandi district. (Image: @Pratibha Virbhadra Singh/Twitter)
The state unit chief’s statement came after she and three other MPs were criticised by CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu for failing to take up the hill state’s situation after incessant rains and flooding, with the Centre
Himachal Pradesh Congress chief Pratibha Singh on Tuesday said all leaders should “unitedly rise above politics” and take up the demand for declaration of national disaster in the hill state, with the central government. This statement came after she received much criticism from party leader and chief minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu for not effectively taking up the catastrophic impact of the floods and rains in the state.
She and her team visited rain and flood-hit areas of Sarkaghat assembly constituency in Mandi district. She called upon all MPs of the state to rise above party politics and meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to demand a special financial aid package for the state.
Pratibha said with its limited resources, the financial condition of Himachal was not such that it could compensate for this tragedy. “All the state MPs, whichever party they belong to, should meet the PM together and apprise him of this critical situation,” she said.
“Due to the rain disaster, government and private property have suffered heavy losses in the Mandi parliamentary constituency this year. Cash crops have been destroyed. Mandi to Kullu national highway, which connects Leh by road, is completely destroyed at many places. Apart from this, major bridges and link roads have been damaged. Many school buildings and houses were also damaged, while many are under threat of collapse. Reconstruction is a big challenge for the state government,” she added.
Avoiding comments on Sukhu’s recent statements, Pratibha expressed satisfaction over relief works initiated by the state government. She said the public works department was working overtime to restore the roads. “It is important to open all the roads soon to ensure that there is no hindrance in the supply of essential commodities,” the Congress MP said.
Sukhu had recently launched a scathing attack on all the four state MPs, including Pratibha, for their failure in not taking up the issue of restoration and relief work with the Centre.
