Shimla, Feb 17 (PTI) The ruling Congress and opposition BJP levelled accusations of financial mismanagement against each other on Tuesday as a discussion on the Revenue Deficit Grant turned the heat up in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly for the second day in a row.
Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu and Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur traded barbs over the issue, accusing each other of “plunging the state into a debt trap”.
The resolution presented by Parliamentary Affairs and Industry Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan on Monday noted that following recommendations of the 16th Finance Commission, the central government has discontinued the Revenue Deficit Grant (RDG) from the next financial year for 17 states, including Himachal Pradesh.
On the second day of the Budget Session of the Assembly, the LoP claimed that the Congress leaders were using “abusive language” against the prime minister before as well as after the discontinuation of the RDG.
Thakur said, citing figures, that his erstwhile government had repaid loans taken by the previous governments using the Rs 54,000 crore received as RDG. His government repaid loans worth Rs 6,485 crore in 2018, Rs 7,499 crore in 2019, Rs 7,438 in 2020, Rs 7,764 crore in 2021, and Rs 9,090 crore in 2022, he added.
He said the BJP repaid 95 per cent of loans during its tenure, while the current government has repaid only 60 per cent in its three-year term.
The chief minister said the previous governments received the grant to bridge the income-expenditure gap, but “it did nothing”. He also asserted that the grant was the state’s right, and not “charity” by the central government.
Sukhu further said his government took a loan of Rs 23,000 crore and repaid Rs 26,000 crore, while the BJP took a loan of Rs 45,000 crore but repaid only Rs 36,000 crore. In addition to the loan, the previous BJP government received Rs 70,000 crore, he said, adding that with financial discipline, the previous government could have reduced the state’s debt.
Participating in the discussion, Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri alleged that whenever the LoP visits Delhi, he attempts to further delay the pending central financial aid for Himachal.
He further claimed that the Union ministers tell Agnihotri that they are ready to provide funds to Himachal, but worry that the LoP would be angry.
Asking the BJP to clarify its stand on the demand for continued RDG, Agnihotri said Thakur has been going to the public and telling them to get ready for the assembly elections because Himachal’s RDG has been stopped.
Attacking the Centre, he said it is trying to weaken state governments. First, GST compensation was stopped, and recommendations have been made to stop the RDG, which will adversely affect many smaller states, the deputy chief minister said.
Agnihotri asserted that this is the time to stand together against Himachal’s deprivation of Rs 55,000 crore, and said, “Governments will come and go, but this is a question of protecting Himachal’s rights, for which we all must rise above petty political considerations.” He called the walkouts staged by the LoP “unfortunate”, alleging that the opposition turns its back whenever a resolution is passed to protect Himachal’s rights.
BJP MLA from Nachan Vinod Kumar noted that it was former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee who granted special category status to Himachal. He said that the Congress had “no right to criticise the Modi government” because during the past 40 years — when the Congress was in power at the Centre — the state received only Rs 20,956 crore.
In contrast, Himachal has received Rs 89,254 crore from the Modi-led BJP government in the past 12 years, he said.
Congress MLA from Fatehpur, Bhawani Singh Pathania, meanwhile, said that the main reason for the closure of the RDG in Himachal is the “failure of Operation Lotus” — the BJP’s failure in forming a government in the state.
Former minister and BJP MLA Bikram Thakur asked whether the Congress, which offered guarantees during the last assembly elections, was not aware of the state’s financial situation. He said the BJP is unhappy with the closure of the RDG, but the Congress government is not curbing wasteful expenditure.
Claiming that it would “not be surprising” if the central government revokes Himachal’s statehood status in the near future , BJP MLA Hansraj said the state was facing bankruptcy, and also opposed the state government’s rehiring of retired employees. PTI BPL PRK
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