Shimla, (UNI) Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur launched a sharp attack on the Congress party over the Revenue Deficit Grants (RDG) issue, alleging that the party is trying to derive political mileage from a sensitive matter and is misleading the people of Himachal Pradesh.
He said that concealing facts and blaming the Central Government has long been a habit of the Congress. He further alleged that the Sukhu government failed to properly present Himachal Pradesh’s case before the 16th Finance Commission.
He was addressing a press conference here on Thursday.
Thakur said that Congress leaders must first clarify that the Congress-ruled state of Karnataka itself had demanded the discontinuation of RDG.
When states governed by their own party have made such demands, why is the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh silent on this fact, he questioned.
“The 15th Finance Commission had already clearly indicated in its recommendations that the RDG arrangement could be phased out in the future. At that time, the present Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu was a sitting MLA and was fully aware of this issue,” he claimed, questioning why the Chief Minister is now pretending ignorance.
Sukhu should clarify what stand he had taken on the matter then, he demanded.
The Leader of Opposition said that by spreading false fear and confusion over RDG, the Congress government is trying to divert attention from its financial mismanagement and administrative failures. He said that the reality is that Finance Commission recommendations are part of a long-term framework and states are given advance indications.
Thakur said that the Congress government should stop political rhetoric and take concrete steps to improve the state’s financial condition. “Instead of making unnecessary allegations against the Centre, the state government should be accountable for its own economic policies and expenditure management,” he said.
Thankur asserted that the BJP speaks on the basis of facts and will continue to place the truth before the public on the RDG issue.
He demanded that the Chief Minister should clearly spell out before the people of Himachal Pradesh his vision of making the state self-reliant by 2027 and the most prosperous state in the country by 2032.
The Leader of Opposition said the Sukhu government has spent three years of its tenure blaming the BJP and the Central Government, whereas the people of the state want work on the ground. He said that fulfilling election guarantees is the responsibility of the Congress government, not the Centre.
He alleged that Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has ruined the state’s economy and should admit his mistake and apologise to the people for making unrealistic election promises in haste.
He claimed that the Sukhu government has failed to fulfil even a single election guarantee so far and that in the coming times, paying salaries and pensions will be the biggest challenge for the government.
The state government has discontinued the MLA Area Development Fund and has also not released funds under the MLA Discretionary Fund, he said. “In such a situation priority meetings of MLAs have lost all relevance. The decision on whether BJP MLAs will participate in or boycott these meetings will be soon taken in a meeting of the BJP Legislature Party,” he said.
Commenting on the state government delaying panchyat elections, he claimed that the Supreme Court is being approached fearing defeat in these polls. He said that the government had earlier accepted that panchayat elections would be conducted before April 30, but by filing an SLP in the Supreme Court, the government has made it clear that it does not want a democratic system to function at the grassroots level.
Thakur charged the Sukhu government of having crossed all limits of borrowing. He said that the practice of taking loans in the state was initiated by the Congress back in 1993. The previous BJP government had taken loans, but in a limited manner, amounting to only Rs 19,600 crore over five years, he said, alleging that in contrast the present Sukhu government has pushed the state deep into debt and severely damaged the state’s economy.
He said the time has now come for the government to take tough and decisive measures. Claiming that most development works in Himachal Pradesh are being carried out with Central funds, he advised the government to present its case more effectively before the Centre afresh so that additional assistance could be secured.
Congress playing politics over RDG, misleading people of Himachal: Jai Ram Thakur
