3 yrs of Cong in Himachal: Sukhu says state govt compelled to take loans to repay liabilities of previous BJP govt
The BJP left behind a debt of ₹76,185 crore and the present government was repaying its principal and interest. 70% of the additional loan taken by the present government was being used to clear the old debt, said chief minister of Himachal
Blaming the predecessor BJP government for the fiscal mess, Himachal Pradesh chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Thursday said that the former BJP government in state left behind a debt of ₹76,185 crore and the present government was compelled to take loans to repay its principal and interest.
“The BJP left behind a debt of ₹76,185 crore and the present government was repaying its principal and interest. 70% of the additional loan taken by the present government was being used to clear the old debt. The present government was compelled to take loans merely to repay this liability. In addition, even the responsibility of paying employees’ arrears amounting to ₹10,000 crore was also left on the present government. Then, in 2023, the worst disaster of the century struck. Despite all these challenges, development was not halted,” Sukhu said during the Jan Sankalp rally in Mandi held to mark the completion of three years of his government in the state.
State BJP leaders have criticised the Sukhu government over the “lavish” celebrations held to mark the completion of three years of the government.
The Jan Sankalp rally was organised in Mandi — the home district of former CM and leader of the Opposition (LoP) Jai Ram Thakur— considered strong hold of saffron party. Congress suffered a crushing defeat in the 2022 assembly elections in Mandi district. The BJP won nine of the 10 seats in Mandi, while Congress only managed to win the Dharampur seat. Therefore, holding a major Congress third-anniversary event in Mandi signals a strategic shift within the party with presenting reports of government initiatives in the past three years.
Speaking on the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), Sukhu said, “If we wanted to gain political advantage, we would have introduced the OPS in 2027. But we introduced OPS for social security in our very first cabinet meeting. In return, the central government withheld ₹1,600 crore.”
Taking a dig at the Opposition party in the state, Sukhu said that BJP was so sure of the loss of Congress in 2024 byelections. “The BJP, which claims to be a champion of democracy, tried to buy our MLAs. Jai Ram Thakur arrived at the governor’s office at 8 o’clock and said in the assembly that now even god cannot save this government. But we are still in majority.”
“The BJP government sold off Himachal’s resources, meanwhile, our government is committed to safeguarding the state’s resources and interests of the people,” Sukhu further said, adding that their government has fulfilled six guarantees and remaining will be fulfilled in the next two years.
Reacting to Leader of Opposition (LoP) Jai Ram Thakur’s “Alto car” remarks, and setting the tone for 2027 polls in state, Sukhu said our government’s performance would ensure a return to power in 2027, that too in a “52-seater Volvo”.
Jai Ram, after BJP’s victory in Bihar, had said that after the next state polls, the Congress MLAs would fit into a “Alto car”.
Deputy CM Mukesh Agnihtori on Thursday warned officials “conspiring” against the ruling Congress government in the state and “visiting the houses of BJP leaders at night”, saying they would be “finished under the cover of darkness”.
He said, “Whosoever is indulging in vicious propaganda and conspiracy against the Congress government would be dealt with and annihilated”, and made special mention of bureaucrats considered close to the BJP leaders. He said that external funding was being stopped, the budget has been capped and the borrowing limit has been reduced. “I want to tell the people that the Himachal BJP is behind this,” he alleged
Govt delivered concrete results on the ground: Patil
Himachal Pradesh Congress in-charge Rajani Patil said the government has not just made announcements but has delivered concrete results on the ground. She said that despite various challenges, the CM has taken decisive steps to build a self-reliant and progressive Himachal.
State Congress chief Vinay Kumar said these three years would be remembered as a golden chapter of transformative decisions. The Congress Party would launch a widespread awareness campaign to ensure that people in every household understand the benefits of government schemes.
Meritorious students felicitated
The CM also distributed e- ₹ voucher to meritorious students under the Srinivasa Ramanujan Students Digital Scheme for purchasing gadgets. Under this scheme, laptops, tablets and smartphones would be provided to the beneficiaries. The students would now be able to choose and purchase a digital device of their preference using the e- ₹ voucher. A total of 8,450 toppers from Class 10 and 12, along-with 900 final-year undergraduate students have received benefits under the scheme.
₹14.17 crore rupees distributed to 3,835 workers
CM Sukhu released financial assistance of ₹14,17,18,354 under various welfare schemes of the Himachal Pradesh Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board during the Jan Sankalp Rally held on Thursday in Mandi. A total of 3,835 workers have been benefitted with this support.
Under the CM Single Window and Divyang Housing Scheme, ₹19 lakh were released to 19 beneficiaries and a sum of ₹1.50 crore to 117 beneficiaries as death and funeral assistance.
For education assistance, ₹9.28 crore were given to 3,040 beneficiaries. Under marriage assistance, ₹3.01 crore were released for 600 beneficiaries.
An amount of ₹1.73 lakh was provided to 10 beneficiaries as maternity and paternity benefits. Support of ₹1.80 lakh was extended to nine special children.
Under the Mukhya Mantri Awas Yojana, ₹10.42 lakh was given to 10 beneficiaries besides, ₹3.53 lakh to 30 other beneficiaries as medical assistance.
He handed over symbolic keys of e-taxis to 25 beneficiaries under the Rajiv Gandhi Swarozgar Start-up scheme and air tickets and visas to 21 youths selected for overseas employment. Apart from this, assistance was also extended to beneficiaries of the Mukhyamantri Sukh-Ashray Yojana and the Mukhyamantri Shagun Yojana.
