BJP legislators held a protest against the Sukhu government on Thursday for not releasing the MLA area development fund. They alleged that with limitations on the treasury, development in the state "has come to a standstill".
The opposition MLAs entered the House carrying placards and raising slogans against the government on the second day of the 10-day Winter session of the Himachal assembly.
Later, they held a sit-in protest outside the Vidhan Sabha in Dharamshala. Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur stated that, “We are elected MLAs, and there is a provision for the area development fund in the budget. But, despite approvals by the MLAs, the treasury is holding back, and officials clearly say there is no money, and they cannot release more than Rs 10,000.”
He said there could be “no bigger joke than this” in a democracy. He also alleged that the Congress government was not even releasing funds even though roads were damaged and bridges swept away in disaster-hit areas.
“People expect MLA funds, but the money is not being released,” Thakur said. He further questioned where the funds were going. “When the development has come to a standstill, and the treasury is not releasing funds, where is the money going? Contractors' payments are being withheld by issuing tokens and taking commissions. This is a new form of corruption,” he alleged.
With the assembly session in progress, Congress leaders were not immediately available to respond to the allegations. Earlier in the morning, before the session started, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu was seen walking in Kacheri Bazaar in Dharamshala. He even interacted with local residents while taking a stroll.
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