Himachal CM criticizes BJP for financial mismanagement

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu criticized the previous BJP government for what he called “fiscal mismanagement.” He spoke in the assembly on Friday, during a debate about the state budget. Sukhu claimed that the BJP government received about ₹68,000 crore from the central government. This money came in the form of GST compensation and revenue deficit grants. However, he said the funds were not used to pay off debts. Instead, he accused the BJP of spending the money on freebies. During the past five years, Sukhu noted, the BJP government took on loans totaling ₹40,352 crore. He mentioned that they did not pay back the revised salaries and pensions owed to employees. Sukhu also pointed out that cuts in grants and borrowing limits resulted in a loss of ₹3,000 crore for the state. After Sukhu's speech, BJP leaders left the assembly. Opposition leader Jai Ram Thakur responded, saying Sukhu was lying. Thakur stated that when the BJP took power, they dealt with a debt of ₹50,000 crore. He emphasized that despite challenges like the pandemic, they continued development work and addressed pending salary issues from previous administrations.