BJP accuses Himachal CM of ‘misleading’ House on state funds, walks out

Blaming the previous BJP government for fiscal challenges being faced by the state, Sukhu in the reply in the House after the discussion on the Budget address said, “The previous Jai Ram government left Himachal Pradesh’s financial condition similar to that of Sri Lanka.

As chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu lashed out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for “squandering the state’s wealth”, BJP legislators walked out of the assembly accusing the chief minister of “misleading” the House.

Leader of opposition Jai Ram Thakur along with BJP legislators staging a walkout from assembly during the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha budget session in Shimla on Wednesday. (Deepak Sansta / HT)

Blaming the previous BJP government for fiscal challenges being faced by the state, Sukhu in the reply in the House after the discussion on the Budget address said, “The previous Jai Ram government left Himachal Pradesh’s financial condition similar to that of Sri Lanka. The previous government under Jai Ram Thakur received ₹70,000 crore under RDG and GST compensation, yet he failed to improve the state’s financial condition. Despite this, they left behind a debt of ₹76,000 crore and distributed freebies extensively”.

Sukhu said, “The government has ordered a vigilance inquiry into irregularities in the Himcare scheme, and expenses of the Rogi Kalyan Samitis are also being investigated”.

Taking a dig at leader of opposition, Jai Ram Thakur, Sukhu said, “Jai Ram met the Prime Minister in Delhi on Tuesday but could not even raise his voice. He did not even demand ₹1,500 crore or restoration of RDG, nor could he make any statement on it”.

Sukhu said his government had presented a “realistic and transparent” financial document after detailed consultations with cabinet colleagues. “Nothing has been hidden in the budget; we have placed the truth before the people,” he said.

Sukhu said his government had stopped the alleged misuse of state assets under “customized packages.”

Sukhu criticised the opposition for raising the issue of “financial emergency,” saying, “Where is the emergency when jobs are being created and salaries and pensions are being paid?”

Commenting on the opposition walkout, Sukhu said, “BJP legislators left the House as they could not face the truth presented by his government”.

Jai Ram said the opposition was compelled to walk out as the CM “failed to provide satisfactory answers and instead levelled baseless allegations against the previous BJP government”.

“The CM is making irrelevant and factually incorrect allegations against the previous government to hide his own failures. After three years in office and four budgets, he has nothing to showcase as an achievement,” Thakur said while speaking to reporters after the walkout from the Assembly on Wednesday evening.