No place for local leaders in posters at Modi's rally in Himachal Pradesh

Mandi: While all top BJP leaders of Himachal Pradesh were present at a party rally addressed by Prime minister Narendra Modi in Mandi, the pictures of local leaders were missing in the posters, prompting Congress to take swipe at it over "infighting".

The mega poster on the stage carried pictures of Modi and party president Amit Shah while life size cut-outs of the Prime Minister were displayed around the venue of the rally at Paddal Ground.

Union Health Minister J P Nadda, former chief ministers Shanta Kumar and P K Dhumal, state party chief Satpal Singh and local MP Ram Swaroop shared the dais but their pictures did not find a place in the rally posters.

Taking a jibe, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh alleged that there was an "internal war" in BJP over projection of the Chief Minister candidate.

"Shanta Kumar (the former Chief Minister) is not in the race but the outcome of the competition between Union Health Minister JP Nadda and Prem Kumar Dhumal would be quite interesting to watch," the Congress leader said.

The state will go to polls late next year. At the rally, the Prime Minister struck a personal note with the audience, recalling his association with Himachal when he was incharge of the state and said that he had not forgotten the taste of 'Sepu padi and Jhol' (local dishes of Mandi).

Modi said, "It is a coincidence that when I was incharge of Himachal the foundation stones of Parbati Hydropower project and Koldam project were laid. I never thought that one day I would dedicate these projects to people."

Modi dedicated three power projects -- Koldam HEP (4x200 MW) of NTPC, Parbati HEP Stage-III (4x130 MW) of NHPC and Rampur HEP (6x68.67 MW) of SJVN.