Congress leaders spoke under compulsion: Prem Kumar Dhumal

SHIMLA: Elections may be over in Himachal Pradesh but the campaign sting is still being felt. Reacting to the statement of Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh, that induction heaters cause cancer especially to pregnant women, chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said: "As far as our knowledge is concerned, induction heaters are safe and we are using it in our homes."

Dhumal was addressing mediapersons last Thursday. He said that Congress leaders had quoted some Kerala-based company having done research on the effects of induction heaters. "We could never trace whereabouts of this company," he said.

Confident of winning the election with full majority, Dhumal said that in the election, capping on subsidized LPG cylinders and increase in the price was a big issue. "We promised to give induction heaters free of cost and this idea appealed to the voters. Women came out to vote in large numbers," he said.

Reacting to the statements of Congress leaders including Sonia Gandhi, PM Manmohan Singh, Union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and Union commerce minister Anand Sharma, Dhumal said that "their claims that Rs 10,000 crore of Centre's fund was not utilized by the state were nothing but a bundle of lies".

Dhumal said he would write a letter to Sonia Gandhi and PM informing them that in 2007-2012, five year plan size was Rs 11,400 crore while the state spent Rs 11,615 crore that was Rs 215 crore more than the plan size.

Dhumal said: "Some people (Congress leaders) held press conference during election under compulsion and what they said was not based on facts. I am writing detailed letters to these leaders with facts and figures to prove what they said was wrong."