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Reduce cadre of your ‘friends’ not bureaucrats: BJP to Sukhu
Suresh Kashyap said the CM should stop questioning the role of BJP MPs and instead focus on the deteriorating financial condition of Himachal Pradesh and the slowdown in development
Former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president and Member of Parliament (MP) Suresh Kashyap, lashed out at Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led state government and said that the government needs to reduce the ‘army of friends’, not officers.
“Instead of reducing the cadre of IAS and IPS officers, the CM should reduce the cadre of his ‘friends’. Officers have a crucial role in administration and the development of the state. The government should cut unnecessary political appointments and wasteful expenditure rather than weakening the administrative structure,” said Kashyap while questioning the state government’s move to reduce the cadre strength of IAS, IPS and other All India Service officers in Himachal Pradesh.
Kashyap was interacting with the media during the foundation day programme at the CPRI headquarters. Kashyap said the CM should stop questioning the role of BJP MPs and instead focus on the deteriorating financial condition of Himachal Pradesh and the slowdown in development.
“I want to tell the CM that BJP MPs do not require a certificate from him. All our Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs understand their responsibilities very well. We do not need instructions from the CM on how and where to raise issues concerning Himachal Pradesh,” he said.
Kashyap said that whenever issues concerning Himachal Pradesh have been raised before Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union government, the Centre has extended full cooperation to the state.
“The state government’s ministers go to Delhi, meet Union ministers, present bouquets and seek funds for Himachal. They return with financial assistance and approvals, but afterwards they even forget to thank the central government,” Kashyap alleged.
He said Himachal Pradesh continues to benefit from its special-category status, with several centrally sponsored schemes being funded in the 90:10 ratio, significantly reducing the financial burden on the State Government.
“If the government genuinely wants to make Himachal self-reliant, it should increase the state’s own revenue, control unnecessary expenditure and reduce its dependence on borrowings,” he said while adding that revenue deficit grant (RDG), was a temporary arrangement with a defined framework.
