The BJP president of Himachal Pradesh, Rajeev Bindal, on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on the Congress-led state government, alleging that its policies have burdened the public with rising taxes and inflation, calling the latest budget “anti-people and destructive.”
Addressing a press conference in Shimla, Bindal said the Congress came to power in 2022 with “big promises and guarantees” but has instead imposed continuous financial strain on citizens. “The Congress government has crushed the people of Himachal under the weight of inflation,” he said.
Criticising the government’s decision to levy widow and orphan cess on petrol and high speed diesel, Bindal said that this is a direct attack on the pockets of the people and is affecting every section of society.
He claimed that over the past 40 months, the state government has collected nearly ₹4,000 crore from the public through various taxes and is now preparing to extract an additional ₹2,000 crore through fresh levies.
He further accused the government of raising the prices of essential services and commodities, including electricity, water, ration items, stamp duty and cement. Bindal alleged that stamp duty has been increased by up to 500 per cent, while cement prices have gone up by as much as ₹100 per bag, making life difficult for the common man.
“This budget is a bundle of announcements with no clear roadmap. It largely copies central schemes and reflects no independent vision of the state government,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}“This budget is a bundle of announcements with no clear roadmap. It largely copies central schemes and reflects no independent vision of the state government,” he said.
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