New Delhi: Himachal Pradesh’s Congress chief minister Sukhvinder Sukhu has extended his gratitude to two of his counterparts from the BJP — Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma and Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami — for donating Rs 10 crore and Rs 5 crore respectively on their governments’ behalf for those affected by monsoon-related disasters in Himachal Pradesh.
Thanking Sarma for his “unwavering support”, Sukhu wrote on social media platform X: “I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the government of Assam for their generous donation of Rs 10 crore, and I deeply appreciate the unwavering support of Chief Minister Shri. Himanta Biswa Sarma and Forest Minister Shri Chander Mohan Patowari.”
I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the government of Assam for their generous donation of Rs. 10 crore, and I deeply appreciate the unwavering support of Chief Minister Shri. Himanta Biswa Sarma and Forest Minister Shri Chander Mohan Patowari. This substantial contribution to the… pic.twitter.com/4VeYcoOSrv
— Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu (@SukhuSukhvinder) September 27, 2023
Sukhu further wrote that the impact of this donation will be profound, providing much-needed relief to those who have endured the challenges posed by heavy rains, floods, and landslides.
Sarma had also expressed solidarity with people of Himachal in a letter Sunday.
Assam stands in solidarity with Himachal Pradesh, following the devastating floods earlier this year.
Today, Hon’ble Minister Shri Chandra Mohan Patowary handed over a contribution of ₹10 cr from the people of Assam to the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh Shri… pic.twitter.com/m9f6beStF9
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) September 27, 2023
The Himachal CM also thanked Dhami. “Uttarakhand government has provided financial assistance of Rs 5 crore to deal with the natural disaster in Himachal Pradesh. I express my heartfelt gratitude to the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Shri Pushkar Singh Dhami ji for this generous assistance. This assistance will prove to be effective in providing help to the affected people in this time of disaster,” he wrote on X.
हिमाचल प्रदेश में प्राकृतिक आपदा से निपटने के लिए उत्तराखंड सरकार ने 5 करोड़ रुपये की आर्थिक सहायता प्रदान प्रदान की है। मैं इस उदार सहायता के लिए उत्तराखंड के मुख्यमंत्री श्री पुष्कर सिंह धामी जी का हार्दिक आभार व्यक्त करता हूं। आपदा की इस घड़ी में प्रभावितों को मदद प्रदान करने… pic.twitter.com/V3t9lzU4Le
— Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu (@SukhuSukhvinder) September 27, 2023
Unprecedented rains and flash floods reportedly claimed the lives of over 300 people in Himachal Pradesh in July-August.
Several other chief ministers, on behalf of their states, have also contributed towards relief work in Himachal. Sarma and Dhami join the likes of Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik, Tamil Nadu CM M.K. Stalin, Rajasthan’s Ashok Gehlot, Chhattisgarh’s Bhupesh Baghel, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah and Bihar’s Nitish Kumar.
Sukhu publicly expressing gratitude to two BJP chief ministers is in sharp contrast with how Nitish Kumar had in 2010 returned then Gujarat CM Narendra Modi’s Rs 5 crore aid for victims of the 2008 floods in Bihar’s Kosi region, which claimed nearly 500 lives.
Nitish’s move came after local papers carried advertisements about the aid given by the Gujarat government for the Kosi flood victims. Heading a BJP-JD(U) government at the time, he had said, “The Gujarat government’s claim (on flood relief) is uncivilised and against Indian culture. Nobody claims of bestowing favours on those who face tragedy caused by natural calamities.”
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
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