BJP Slams Himachal Government Over Rotten HPMC Apples, Accuses Ministers of Negligence

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state spokesperson Rakesh Dogra sharply criticized the Himachal government and Shimla district ministers over the issue of Himachal Pradesh HPMC apples rotting on the roads of horticulturally rich areas.

Dogra alleged that HPMC apples are still rotting on the roads of important apple-producing areas like Jubbal-Kotkhai, Rohru, Rampur, Theog, and Chaupal, while the three Shimla district ministers are sleeping in a "Kumbhakarna sleep."

Rakesh Dogra, highlighting the gravity of the situation, said that sacks of rotten apples have now reached the drains, contaminating drinking water schemes.

He warned that these rotten apples will spread disease and infection through water to people's homes in the future. The state hadn't even recovered from the natural disaster when the government was now deliberately spreading the infection by leaving rotten apples on the streets.

Dogra stressed that sacks of rotten apples had become a nuisance for orchardists, and that these rotten apples being dumped into rivers and drains posed a serious threat to public health.

The BJP spokesperson strongly condemned the irresponsible statements made by Congress leaders.

He said that Congress leaders from Jubbal-Kotkhai, standing on the Education Minister's platform, were making such a "frivolous" remark, "What harm is it to the orchardists if the apple sacks are rotting?" Furthermore, Dogra claimed that these leaders even told orchardists to consider the receipts on the sacks as checks!

Surprisingly, Congress leaders are making such statements, despite the fact that payments worth crores of rupees for apples purchased from orchardists under the previous MIS scheme are still pending.

Rakesh Dogra accused the Horticulture Minister and Education Minister of silence and inaction on horticulture issues. He said that this year, when orchardists needed him the most, the Education Minister was absent from his constituency.

He demanded that the government promptly dispose of these rotting apples and take immediate action to compensate orchardists for their losses.