The opposition BJP today launched a scathing attack on the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh and alleged that the government had wasted Rs 25 crore on the celebration of two years, where the Chief Minister and other leaders just gave political speeches with nothing to showcase as achievement.
Talking to media persons here, former BJP Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition, Jai Ram Thakur said the entire Central leadership of Congress party, right from Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge to Priyanka Gandhi was nonresponsive to the state Congress government’s invitation to attend this celebration.
“There is nothing to celebrate in Himachal under Congress rule after two years. That is what the central Congress leadership has conveyed by staying away from this meaningless event. Priyanka Gandhi had not attended this celebration for one year also in 2023, although she was at her home in Himachal that time,” he said.
Thakur said the cash strapped government, which has stopped recruitments, has not paid salaries to the outsource staff, has the money to waste on such events. He questioned the state government’s move to hire lawyers from the national capital to plead for Chief Parliamentary Secretaries in the Supreme Court and spend Rs 10 crore in a few days just to save their chair, which, he said, was still not going to happen.
“Nothing is, however, being done for Himachal Bhawan, which was recently attached in a hydro company case, by the High Court. What is the army of the 80 lawyers of the state, right from Advocate General to the Additional AGs and Deputy AGs is doing? Are they there just to get money for nothing?” he said.
Thakur said the slogan of ‘Himachal on Sale’ goes well with the intentions of the present Congress government, which sold the 112 hectares fertile land of Palampur Agriculture University for tourism to someone. The High Court however stayed the matter.
He said that there was a court order recently to close 18 units of Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation. Later, 9 units were spared. “Loss making units are fine. But I just want to ask the Chief Minister why the profit making units in Dharamshala and Manali were also included in the list. It is surprising that the Chief Minister himself stated in an interview that the government was interested in giving these units to the private parties,” he said.
The former Chief Minister alleged corruption in different departments and said the BJP had submitted a Memorandum to the Governor, highlighting various acts of corruption in the present government. He said the government has not been able to reply to a single allegation so far, whether it pertains to favouring the mining mafia, land scam or liquor policy.
He said the government has still not clarified as to why the Superintendent of Police, Baddi, who was tightening the noose around the mining mafia, packed her bags overnight and went home for a long leave.
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