Even as Himachal Pradesh Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla has turned down the state government’s request to hold a special session of the State Assembly on February 17 to discuss the withdrawal of the Revenue Deficit Grant (RDG) in the 16th Finance Commission report tabled in Parliament, Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said he is prepared to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with BJP leaders to plead the state’s case.
The Governor said there was no need for a special session when the Budget session of the State Assembly was not far away.
However, the Chief Minister said the withdrawal of RDG was unjustified for small hill states like Himachal Pradesh, which cannot mobilise resources beyond a certain point. He said the state would lose nearly Rs 50,000 crore over the next five years, which could have come through RDG. He said that the state government was working towards making Himachal Pradesh self-reliant by 2027, but the withdrawal of RDG came as a major setback. He said the government had asked BJP MLAs and even the media to attend a presentation by the state government on how much the RDG withdrawal would affect the state’s development in the coming years.
Sukhu said the state government had been tightening the noose around corrupt elements and had generated Rs 3,500 crore by taking various steps in this regard. He blamed the previous BJP government for wasteful expenditure on buildings.
“The withdrawal of RDG will not affect the government. It will directly affect the development of the state and its people. The government is taking all decisions in the interest of the state,” he said.
Sukhu said no chair was permanent. “But we must take up the issue strongly with the Central government in the interest of the state,” he said, hinting that people should be prepared for further struggle and tough decisions.
Also Read: Political heat in HP over sudden RDG withdrawal
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