BJP claims Congress made false pledges in order to seize power

Despite a statement made by Priyanka Gandhi, general secretary of the All-India Congress Committee, during an electoral rally in Solan in October 2022 before of the Assembly race, no tomato processing factory has been built. Not even one move has been taken by the governing Congress to establish a facility of such kind to help the local tomato producers.

The state spokesman for the BJP, Vivek Sharma, declared: “The Congress has made false pledges to seize power in 2022. Under the Himachal and Himachaliyat theme in its platform, the Congress has pledged to establish a food processing park in Solan.

“It is regrettable to see that the Congress government has not allocated any funds or designated any land for the establishment of a processing park in Solan, as they pledged in their manifesto,” Sharma said.

He conveyed astonishment that the BJP was being questioned by the Congress for not establishing a food processing plant in Solan, even though the BJP had made a commitment to do so in 2022.

Annual sales of tomato production via the Agriculture production Marketing Committee at Solan total around Rs 1.5 crore. The acreage used for tomato farming has been rising annually. On 2,500 hectares, growers produced 92,220 metric tons of tomatoes in 2004. Grown over 4,200 hectares, the production has already increased to 1,25,400 metric tons.

But the commitment to establish a tomato processing facility was not new. A plant of like kind was also promised by the BJP, which had won all five Vidhan Sabha seats in the district in 2007.

A location was chosen in 2019–20, under the BJP government, at Do Sarka, close to Kumarhatti. After inspecting the site, the relevant authorities determined that the project needed forest clearing since it was located in a forested area. Following the announcement of the model code of conduct in 2022, nothing further was done.

The Solan district’s tomatoes are highly valued on the market due to their reputation for quality. It is the region’s principal cash crop. That being said, no tomato processing facility has opened.

Absence of a tomato processing facility

The Solan district’s tomatoes are highly valued on the market due to their reputation for quality. It is the region’s principal cash crop. In spite of this, no tomato processing facility has opened.

In July of last year, the cost of tomatoes exceeded that of apples, with a kilogram of the superior “Him Sohna” type retailing for Rs 102 at the Solan APMC. This season, even the inferior tomato type was selling for as high as Rs 33 a kg.
Growers, feeling duped, bemoan the fact that, after winning their support, the Congress has conveniently forgotten their pledge.